Equestria’s Human Guardian
by imagineer379
Summary: Raxtus Williams has had a hard life. After nearly dying on his birthday, he finds himself in Equestria, with powers he didn’t know he had. WARNING: rated M for language, suggestive material, and future lemons. Set in an anthro-equestria.
1. Chapter one

Author's Note: this is the first story I've published. I've spent a lot of time working out details, characters, and a whole host of other things. This first chapter will be a 'pilot' chapter. If you guys like it, I'll be sure to post more in the future. If not, give me suggestions on how to rework it, or other stories you want me to write. Now with that out of the way, I present the first chapter on Equestria's Human Guardian.

Chapter 1

"Here's your order, have a nice day." I walked away from the counter with my favorite meal from Wendy's; a Baconator with fries and an Orange Fanta. I don't get these very often, usually whenever I'm celebrating something, which is actually very rare. This was a special occasion, however, because I had finally mastered my sword. After several years of training with my grandpa, and then his friends after his untimely death, I finally mastered it.

My grandpa's friends had taken me before their resident sword grandmaster, and she made it official. This was also another great occasion, because it was actually my birthday. I finally hit twenty years of age today, and it feels amazing. Now, my birthday wasn't exactly a reason to celebrate, actually. I hadn't seen it as a momentous occasion, ever since my grandpa died. My grandpa's four friends had only come up to the house in Oregon a few months ago, and it was great living with them. They told me stories, helped to train me, advise me, and get me through college. I graduated with a Masters degree in engineering two months ago.

I walked outside, and was greeted by the cold of winter. I mounted my motorcycle, and sped on back to home. I love my motorcycle. I built it myself, and it's a sport bike,with upgraded speed (it can hit a top speed of 115 miles per hour), modified shocks, and a very strong frame. It was tricky to construct, but I finally did it, after a year and a half of working on it. I missed my grandpa. He was an incredible man and teacher. He was the kind of person who would go out and do random acts of service all day long, and still want to do more. He taught me Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and Jiu Jitsu, and helped me master all of them. He was the person who taught me how to properly use my sword, and introduced me to fighting with Tonfa, Kunai and chains, and daggers.

I arrived at my house, and was confronted with absolute silence. I say it's my house, when it's really my Grandpa's, but he left it to me in his will, along with a great many other things. For starters, it's situated outside of town, in a secluded area in the woods that surround the town's edge. The house is HUGE. It's got an enormous Dojo filled to the brim with everything needed to train in martial arts. My grandpa loved reading, and because of that, he added a library to the house. It's not gigantic, but it's a decent size, and it contains a vast myriad of books. About half the books in the library are books on martial arts and weapons. These books are translated from the original texts, and they contain the history, usage, technique, and other such things about whatever they were written for. Those books got me interested in several other martial arts, and weapons combat. Some of my fondest memories of me and my grandpa happened in the library, when he would sit down with me, find us a good book to read, and we'd read together, usually after a good day of training.

I was on my guard when I heard nothing coming from my house. Usually, my grandpa's friends are going nuts in the Dojo, or arguing about something stupid. These arguments can get pretty intense, and they usually lead to trading blows. I've gotten used to opening the door and deflecting either a knife, sword, shield, and the occasional smoke bomb. When I'm greeted with silence, it's not exactly the most comforting thing in the world.

I unlocked the front door, Tonfa in hand, and cautiously entered. It was midnight black inside, and quiet enough to hear a feather touch the floor. After deducing that it was safe to move on past the entry hall, I silently stepped into the kitchen.

The lights clicked on as my grandpa's friends jumped out of hiding.

"Surprise!" I staggered back, shocked that this happened. I should probably introduce you to these guys. First up, there's Steven Francis, nicknamed Improv. Improv is 38 years old, and has the wildest head of hair in existence. It looks like it's made of pure silver, and it's always sticking up in massive cartoonish mad scientist type tufts. He has the craziest look in his electric blue eyes, which are roving over everything they can see. Improv was given his nickname, because he leaps into a fight coming up with a plan on the fly. He's great at improvising when things get sticky, or so I've been told. Improv wears a bright red jacket with a black shirt, jeans and neon pink high tops. He has pockets EVERYWHERE in his clothes, where he keeps enough odds and ends to satisfy a junk dealer's dreams. When I asked him about this, he grinned and told me you never know when you might need something random.

Next up is Jason Drake, nicknamed Sneakers. Sneakers is the stealthiest, sneakiest, most quiet person you'll ever meet. This guy is a master ninja, and a samurai to boot, and has done some espionage missions for various governments. He retired when his back popped during an assassination mission. Long story short, a new nation formed after two years of unspeakable carnage, and Sneakers is now hailed as its national hero. Sneakers was 63 during that mission, and now he's 79, and he still hasn't lost his touch. Sneakers is descended from Japanese and Scottish warriors, which is a bit of an odd heritage, but it does make him pretty cool. Sneakers never raises his voice above a loud whisper, period. I've only heard him shout one time, when I was 13. I'm still terrified at the memory of witnessing his temper.

Tristan Clearwarn is the third person to come to the house. He's of Native American descendance, which is probably why he nicknamed himself Chief. Chief is big, burly, and incredibly swift. Chief is 38 years old, and a master of the tomahawk, bow, blowgun, pretty much any weapon connected to his heritage, despite the fact he has absolutely no idea which Native American tribe he's from. He wears normal clothing, and has chocolate brown eyes with rich obsidian black hair. Chief has the face of a stereotypical Native American chief, and is very well tanned. Chief is always level-headed, calm, cool, and collected, which also makes him nearly impossible beat in poker.

The last person is Chief's wife, Lily Clearwarn, nicknamed Spitfire. She's the complete opposite of Chief, hotheaded, fiery, and is always eager to prove herself, in almost any way, shape, or form. Lily looks like she came straight out of an anime. Her hair is bright red, and it comes down to her waist. She usually wears tight clothing, typically in bright colors, and it's apparently impossibly expensive. Spitfire has an hourglass figure, some of the longest legs I've ever seen, and an enormous chest size. She's the most stubborn person I've ever met, aside from my mother. Spitfire is of Irish and Nordic descent, which should explain why. Spitfire is the sword grandmaster I was talking about earlier. Apparently she's so fierce in battle, that even Chief is terrified of her.

Most of the time these four are training, fighting, or trying to stop Spitfire from killing somebody. I've never seen them get together and agree to do something, until they popped out and surprised me.

I was shocked to say the least, even more so when Spitfire enveloped me in a massive hug.

"Happy Birthday sweetie." Spitfire purred.

"Umm… thanks?" I tried to respond, but she had shoved my head in her large bust, muffling every sound I tried to make. I could barely breathe, until my savior came in the form of an ex-assassin.

"Let him breathe, Spitfire. Stop smothering him." Sneakers said in his soft voice, as he pulled us apart. My lungs sang the hallelujah chorus as fresh air hit them.

"Thanks Sneakers." I said between gasps. Sneakers smiled at me, then turned to Spitfire.

"Why?" Sneakers asked. Spitfire gave him a look that could make diamonds spontaneously combust.

"It wasn't on purpose!" She snapped. Spitfire is one of the few people who can successfully stare Sneakers down.

"Alright Lily." Chief chuckled in his deep baritone. "We get it was an accident, there's no need to bite our heads off." Chief is the only person who could calm Spitfire down. Heck, Chief could calm anything simply by speaking. His voice was a deep tissue massage of words. If I ever needed to calm down, or was tense, I just went over and had a conversation with Chief. I remember once, when I was on vacation with my grandpa and his friends, I had accidentally got in between a mother grizzly bear and her cubs. I was certain I was going to die, when Chief simply walked up to the she-bear, and spoke. Instantly she calmed down, gathered her cubs and walked away.

"I don't know, Chief. It could've been on purpose, it could've been an accident, or it could've been a shotgun, ya never know for certain with miss Firemouth." I mentally groaned. Sneakers facepalmed. Out of everybody Spitfire knows, Improv gets on her nerves the most. It's like living with Murdock and B.A Baracus from "The A-Team". When those two get going at it, not even Chief can stop them. Apparently, it had been nearly two years since their last major argument. The last one had an aftermath of a body cast, a half demolished city block, SWAT team involvement, and twelve restraining orders.

Spitfire's face turned about eight different shades of purple, but when she tried to retaliate, Chief stepped between them, his face a mask of disapproval.

"Both if you, stop." Chief said sharply "I cannot believe you two would go at each other on today of all days. This is Raxtus' birthday, and there will be no senseless brawling on this property today. Do I make myself clear?" Spitfire nodded, her face deflating, and Improv meekly affirmed as well.

Yeah, my name is Raxtus. Raxtus Aurelius Williams. My dad wanted a name that stood out from all the rest, that still sounded cool. He agreed to the name Raxtus after my mom suggested it, and my grandpa decided that my middle name should be Aurelius, after the name Marcus Aurelius, who, in my grandpa's opinion, was the greatest Roman emperor of all time. I'm five foot four and Caucasian with a pretty nice tan. My eyes look like they were made of pure silver, and my hair looks like it's made from the milkiest chocolate. Yes, it's that shade of brown, and that lustrous. My mom says I got my looks and physique from my dad, all except for my eyes. Nobody knows why they're that color. The doctors are still baffled to this day.

After Chief restored order, the party began. There wasn't too much that happened, aside from Spitfire eating three Carolina Reaper Peppers in rapid succession, Improv attempting to swallow a shotgun, and Sneakers somehow stealing my socks, while I still had my shoes on. No, he didn't cut into my shoes to get to them. Things finally calmed down after Chief brought out the cake. I never thought it was possible for a human being to breathe fire, until Spitfire lit the candles that way. Some things are better off unexplained, I guess.

I almost ate the entire cake on my own. It was a three tiered red velvet cake, with a Carmel and Bavarian cream filling, and covered in Chief's signature fondant. I have a massive sweet tooth, and any dessert that contains any of those three things is never safe once I spot it. My taste buds sang out in ecstasy. I think I ate about a third of the cake, before moving on to presents.

I got The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Ready Player One, both the book and movie, a new dagger, an extendable and retractable Bo staff, and a new pair of kunai and chains, before moving on to the final gift. Chief handed me a small box, carefully wrapped. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw who it was from; Jacob Williams, my grandfather.

"Your grandfather left a hidden message in his will, which told us about this box, and the contents inside. Jacob's message instructed us to give you this when you hit twenty years of age. Apparently, that was the right time." Chief explained, as I opened up the card. It was written in my grandpa's swooping, elegant cursive.

Raxtus,

How are you doing kiddo? I hope you're doing well, because if you're not, your mother's spirit is going to kill me again. This gift is special in more ways than one. Its uses will reveal themselves in time, and even though it doesn't look very useful, it will save your life, when the time comes. If it was intended for me, I would probably still be here, but it was built specifically for you. I hope you like what I helped create. I love you Raxtus, more than I could ever truly express.

Your loving grandfather,

Jacob

I wanted to laugh and cry my eyes out. It was exactly like my grandpa to leave a note like this. Not too long, not too short, with a few jokes and plenty of vagueness. I opened the wrapping with trembling hands. My presents from grandpa were never secured with tape, only the ribbon tied around it. Inside a cushioned box lay a beautiful pendant, small enough to fit inside the palm of my hand

It was a triangle made of sapphire, with a Septagon made of white crystal inscribed inside the triangle, and a nonagon made of ruby inscribed inside the septagon, with a miniature sword in its scabbard inside of the nonagon. The scabbard was made of onyx and silver, and the sword's hilt was made of gold, with miniature jewels inserted. Symbols made of emerald lined the outside of each shape. A minuscule silver chain was attached to the top of the pendant.

I stared at it, examining every inch of it.

"Well, are you going to put it on, or put it back in the box." Improv's voice cut through my train of thought. I flushed slightly, as I finally put it on. I don't know what it was, but wearing it felt so… right, like I had finally found the missing part of myself I didn't know I was missing.

After presents, we all went into the dojo to help break in my new weapons. Things started well, but it escalated quickly, ending with Improv somehow creating a fully functional mini P.E.K.K.A from Clash Royale to try and stop both Spitfire and Sneakers from killing him (donut even ask what he did, it has something to do with Albuquerque). Chief was somehow able to restore order, but only after he had me destroy the mini P.E.K.K.A. I went to bed exhausted, but smiling.

I felt like I had only slept for a second when Chief shook me awake.

"Rax, Rax. Raxtus Aurelius, wake up!" Chief never spoke like that, period. I shot out of bed, almost colliding with Chief"s face.

"What's going on?" I asked around a yawn. Chief turned from gathering my things. The sight chilled me to the bone. Chief wore an expression I had never seen on his face; absolute terror.

"Get dressed, there's not much time." Chief hurled a bundle of clothes at me. I scrambled to get them on. My outfit consisted of black jeans, a plain black t-shirt, my red shoes, my favorite black and red spider jacket, and my new pendant. I went into the kitchen and ducked to avoid some sparking wires. The scene before my eyes made my blood run cold.

Improv was working overtime on about seventeen different things at once, an intense look of concentration on his face. Spitfire had raided the dojo, gathering every lethal weapon she could find. Sneakers and Chief stood over something on the table, apparently having a silent argument about whatever. The scene would've been normal, but there was one difference; everybody was in full battle armor. Improv's was a giant mismatch of spare parts. It looked like he covered himself in glue, and walked through a dump, but I knew from personal experience that Improv carefully crafted his armor to intentionally look like that. It had more weapons in it that Iron Man's mark 50 armor. Spitfire's armor was, with lack of a better word, fiery. It looked like it was made of fire. Honestly, her armor is too awesome to even attempt to describe. Sneakers embraced his Japanese heritage, and was in his crimson samurai armor. I don't think there's any description needed. Chief didn't wear any armor, but he did have every weapon he mastered strapped to his person.

The reason my blood ran cold, was because they wear their armor for one reason; and battle. Not sparring, not conflict, but full on, no holds barred battle. That, and everybody had either fear, or grim determination in their expressions, even Chief, who, up until this point, I had thought had no fear.

"How long until they're ready, Improv?" Chief asked. Improv looked up from his work.

"Give me another two minutes, three if the bulkheads will hold." Improv said.

"We only have a minute left until it's breached." Sneakers said softly. Chief looked at the table, and then back at Sneakers.

"What schematic are you looking at. The bulkheads will hold for another three minutes." Chief said, incredulousity creeping into his voice.

"Tristan, Jason's right. They have him." Spitfire said fearfully. Chief almost broke his neck turning to look at her.

"Lily. Are you sure it's him?" Lily nodded, terror creeping into her face. Chief's eyes enlarged to the size of dinner plates, his breath quickening slightly. Chief turned away from everybody. I saw his shoulders trembling, just for a moment. Then, he turned back around. Chief walked over to me, shaking slightly.

"Improv, I need the gloves." Improv tossed them over. They were black fingerless gloves, with red lines running along the seams that pulsed slightly. Chief softly grabbed my hands, and put the gloves on them.

"Keep them on." Chief stood, grabbed my backpack, and turned to the other three.

"How much time do we have?" Chief asked.

"The traps and defenses should hold them back for another three minutes at maximum. After that, it's just us." Improv said.

"Then we'll hold them back." Spitfire proclaimed, grim determination in her tone. Sneakers nodded, and drew his katana in affirmation.

"We'll hold them just long enough for Raxtus to escape." Improv said determinedly. That caught my attention. My head snapped up to look at Improv.

"What do you mean, 'long enough for me to escape.'?" I asked. Chief and Sneakers shared an uneasy glance.

"Raxtus, they're here for you." Chief said uneasily.

"Why me? I'm nothing special." I said, hoping this was a joke. Chief looked at me stonily.

"The reason why they came for you, is because of your father." I cringed at the mere mention of that asshole who ruined my childhood. The only good thing he gave me was my name.

"It isn't his fault he was turned into that monster." Chief said. I paused at the new information. It wasn't his fault? What does that mean? I turned to Chief questioningly.

"These are the same evil, twisted men that tortured your father to insanity." Chief said gravely. I almost fell over.

"I know you have a million questions, but you need to go. Follow me." Chief opened the hall closet, pushed aside several coats to reveal a keypad. Chief typed in a code, and a section of the wall opened up, revealing a winding staircase.

"Down here, quickly." Chief said urgently. We slid on the handrails, to cut down on time, and finally ended up inside a small concrete garage, with my motorcycle in it. Chief handed me my backpack.

"This is the most discreet way out that the house has, ever since Improv broke the teleporter. Follow the path, and don't look back. Don't come back here, period. Once the path ends, head into the woods. Your pendant will help shield you from their sight. Don't let them catch you. We'll buy you as much time as we can." Chief finished speaking, as I mounted my cycle.

"Oh yes, one more thing." Chief strapped something else to my back. "Your grandfather's sword." Chief gave me one last hug, then opened the door in front of me. I revved my cycle and sped off into the night.

I was so glad that I added the dirt bike features to this cycle. Without them, I would be left sprinting along the tops of the cliffs overlooking the stormy Pacific Ocean. I sped along the rocky path at 78 miles per hour, making impossible jumps and turns along the way. I was silently praying the new shocks would last the journey. Racing along the path helped take my mind off of the questions that crowded my head. Namely about who were those men who attacked the house, why did they torture my father, and why were the after me? Of all people, why me? As far as I knew I wasn't very special. Aside from my fighting and engineering skills, I was drawing a blank.

My train of thought was interrupted by a massive explosion. I stopped and looked at the mushroom cloud. My heart lodged in my throat. That was where the house used to be. I was about to turn around and head back, when I remembered what Chief said.

Follow the path, and don't look back. Don't come back to the house, period. As much as I wanted to go back, I had to trust Chief, and get away. I got back on my bike and sped off down the path.

A few more minutes into my journey, I was knocked off my bike. Pain exploded inside my head, and I nearly fell off the cliffs. I stood back up, after a moment, but instantly wished I had just fallen into the sea.

Standing before me was a man. The guy was immaculately dressed in a black three piece business suit, which immediately set me on edge. A person doesn't just pop out of the woods looking perfect. He had jet black hair, black stereotypical C.I.A agent sunglasses, and a cruel, cold, thin smile.

"You know, most people wear a helmet when they go out." The man said, striding towards me. Shakily, I stood back up, trying my best to ignore the pain in my skull.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked in what I hoped was a brave voice. The man chuckled, as rain began to fall in thick sheets.

"Straight to the point, just like your father. He never beat around the bush in a conversation either, just went right to the heart of a matter." My heart stopped dead when I heard that. This must be the 'him' that Chief and Spitfire mentioned.

"My name is Tenebris." Dread instantly filled my heart. Tenebris is the plural of Tenebra, which means darkness, gloom, and despair. I stared at him with wide eyes.

"Y-you're the one that… tortured him?" I almost couldn't say it. I know I said my dad was an asshole earlier, but I was feeling pretty guilty about that. My mom told me about his better years, which ended about a year after I was born. He was kind, caring, protective, strong, handsome, gentle, basically everything a father should be. Tenebris must have tortured him enough to pulverize his sanity. Especially since he had a will that made diamonds seem like the softest pillows, according to my mother. That torture must've been the worst to make my dad's qualities do a 180.

"Yes, I did it. Even I was surprised at how resilient he was. Not even our most extreme devices couldn't break him. He only gave in when we threatened to kill your mother. Then he readily gave up the information we needed." I figured I couldn't be shocked anymore, but that last thing he said proved me wrong.

"Had we known she was carrying you, we would've done it in a heartbeat." The shock transformed into an urge to put this monster underneath a herd of stampeding elephants equipped with cleats.

"If you already have the information, why are you after me?" I asked, as I made my way to my backpack. Tenebris's face twisted with rage. "You are a loose end, and my master hates loose ends. You weren't meant to exist at all. When my master found out he had a son…" Tenebris simply shuddered at the memory. "It got even worse when your bastard grandfather and the four retarded wombats he calls friends staged a jailbreak, and took your father." Tenebris spat, rage lacing every word. He would've said more, but his mouth was then filled with my fist. I delivered two swift kicks to his chest, and punched him hard enough to send him sprawling back to the woods. Nobody gets away with saying that about my family. The rain was really coming down now, soaking our clothes, and the rocky cliff we were on.

Tenebris stood back up, smiling cruelly. There was no words spoken between us, just a single look. The battle began. Tenebris came at me, faster than I could see, and it was only my instincts that saved me from his first few blows. I countered with a powerful hammer fist to the back, and a sharp knife hand to the neck. Tenebris was dazed, so I took the opportunity to whip out my dagger. He lost one of his hands before he could react quickly enough. Tenebris hit a pressure point on my wrist, rendering my hand useless for the time being. My dagger fell to the ground, as I jumped back to avoid Tenebris's blows, now enhanced with spiked knuckle dusters.

I went on the defensive, whipping my new bo staff out of my backpack. The bo staff gave me a longer each than Tenebris, allowing me to hold him back, until I regained command of my hand. My plan sort of worked. Tenebris found an opening, and hit the left side of my torso. I heard, and felt, sharp snapping. I staggered back, nearly blacking out. My body reacted on its own, and then it was Tenebris's to cry out in agony. By the time the dust cleared, Tenebris's… anatomy was lying on the ground and his jaw was broken on both hinges. Yes, I hit him that hard with my axe kick.

Now that I had control over my hand again, I broke out the tonfa. Just so you know, Tonfa were built for getting in up close and personal in battle, allowing you to overpower your enemy, while you remain mostly unscathed. That's what I did. I charged Tenebris, hit him with a powerful Chuck Norris style roundhouse (it wasn't nearly as powerful as Chuck's, but I wish it was), then hit Tenebris with a flurry of blows. Then, things got even more insane.

Somehow, Tenebris managed to catch my arms. He was in terrible shape, I'm not going to go into any detail. I'll just say, there was blood everywhere. Except his was this black tar-like substance. He stared at me, and I felt terror take over. The glasses finally fell off, revealing red energy where his eyes should be. Tenebris broke both my arms, slammed me into the ground, and began to choke me. My breath left me by the score. I flailed and thrashed about, trying in vain to push Tenebris off of me.

I was about to let go of life, when I could suddenly breathe again. Tenebris was ripped off of me, with the force of a hurricane. I rolled over, and saw the impossible; a very pissed off Chief. Chief had somehow survived the explosion, as shown by the various burns and cauterized wounds on his body. He only had his right arm remaining, his left arm ending at the shoulder in a cauterized stump. Chief's body was a horror show of slashes, bruises, and burns, but he was still alive, and able to fight, but I was also terrified, because Chief's face betrayed an emotion I had never seen on him before; rage. Pure, unbridled, primal rage.

Tenebris took one look at Chief, and his eyes widened, fear, revulsion, and horror in his gaze. Chief let loose a bone chilling Apache war cry, and attacked Tenebris. I never saw Chief in his 'battle frenzy' until now. Tenebris vainly tried to stop Chief, but to no avail. Chief hit him so hard, Tenebris's jaw flew off his face, and one of his eyes exploded. Chief slammed Tenebris into the rock, stomped on his face, and finally took the sword he had on his back and stabbed it into Tenebris so hard, it sank into the rock, like a hot knife through butter. Only the hilt remained sticking out of Tenebris's body.

Chief stood there, staring at his handiwork for a few seconds, then came over to me. I was both awestruck and horrified at what Chief had done. Chief picked me up, almost effortlessly, draped me over my motorcycle, and grabbed my backpack. He was beginning to wheel the bike out, when Tenebris's body began to hum and glow. Chief and I looked at Tenebris's body, watching purple flashes it was emitting.

The body was in front of us, our backs to the edge of the cliff. Tenebris's body exploded, severing the cliff from it's anchor points. Hundreds of tons of rock, and us, fell towards the raging ocean. Chief anchored my backpack to my bike, and tapped on my pendant. A multicolored light sprung from it, growing larger, until it encompassed me, and my possessions. I looked and saw Chief falling towards the waves, smiling. He looked at me, and I somehow heard his last words through the chaos: "Now it's your turn to be a hero." Chief closed his eyes, and kept his smile as he was swallowed by the hungry sea.

I let loose an inhuman cry of pure pain and anguish, as the bubble around me pulled me up. I remember it going faster and faster. I saw things, things too great to describe now, before I blacked out.

Author's Note: once again, I hope you liked this first chapter, let me know if you did, or didn't, but please no flames, or salty comments. I do like constructive criticism, but do not let it turn into a hate comment. I'll hopefully see you guys later. This is Imagineer379 signing off.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: well, so far from the two reviews I've gotten so far, feedback is positive, and I decided to post this chapter because of it. Special thanks to UltraNova1225 and Manx1musofsparta for your reviews. Now without further ado, I present the second chapter of Equestria's Human Guardian.

Chapter 2

Equestria was having a very rare occurrence; a heat wave. Nopony could explain what was causing it, not even Twilight Sparkle, even after all of her extensive research and even consulting Celestia and Luna of how this just suddenly happened. The heat wave started earlier that day. The temperatures were normal, but they just suddenly skyrocketed. There was no explanation for what could've caused it. Celestia and Luna couldn't detect any magical interference, there wasn't any new dark threat, and Pinkie Pie hadn't accidentally moved the sun slightly closer.

The Equestrians had decided to make the most of it. Sales of frozen treats, cold beverages, sunscreen, fans, and other summer products went through the roof. Most ponies headed for the cold rivers, ponds, and lakes that dotted the land, or they stayed inside. Such was the case for three fillies. Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo lay on the floor of the CMC treehouse, trying to think of what new things they could try to get their cutie marks.

Scootaloo in particular was in agony. Sitting around in the sweltering heat doing basically nothing, wasn't exactly doing wonders for her. She wanted to be out having fun, preferably with Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Mane 6. Scootaloo suddenly leaped up from her chair.

"Come on guys, let's go do something fun. I'm sick of sitting here doing nothing, everypony else is having fun, and we should too." Scootaloo proclaimed loudly. Scootaloo traded in her usual Wonderbolts jacket and jeans for a sky blue tank top, and a black miniskirt. Sweetiebelle sat up on the floor. She wore navy blue designer jeans (a birthday present from her sister Rarity), and a teal t-shirt.

"Scoots is right. We should be out having fun, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's way too hot to find our cutie marks." Sweetiebelle said, staring at Applebloom. Applebloom looked at the two disbelievingly. She was wearing a red plaid button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a denim skirt. Applebloom stood up, and looked at her two friends.

"Now hold on a minute. There's no reason we can't have fun and find our cutie marks at the same time. I suggest we just head on out and see what comes our way." Applebloom said. Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle readily agreed, and thanks to Scootaloo's scooter skills, they were enjoying large ice cream cones two minutes later from Sugarcube Corner. After they finished their cones, the three went to Twilight's library, to see what the Mane 6 were up to.

Unlike the rest of the Ponyville population, Spike wasn't bothered by the heat wave. Being a dragon, Spike had an affinity to incredibly hot temperatures. He was in the middle of one of Twilight's steamy, smutty romance novels, which she thought she had kept hidden from him (and everypony else), when he heard a knock at the door. Spike groaned, marked his spot, hid the book in his bed, and walked downstairs to get the door.

"This had better be good." Spike mumbled. Spike wasn't exactly surprised to find the sweating CMC on the doorstep. They had come to the library time and again to see what things they could try to do to earn their cutie marks.

"Come on in girls." Spike said. The three gratefully entered the cool library. "If you're looking for Twilight and the others, they're out at the lake, enjoying the day." Spike said, shutting the door. The three looked disappointed, Scootaloo in particular.

Spike was about to speak, when the sky lit up in a massive crystalline rainbow, followed by the loudest boom Equestria had ever known. The ground shook, as did most of the buildings. The shaking stopped as soon as it had begun, fortunately. Inside the library, it looked like a tornado decided to live there. Books were flung everywhere, as was most of the furniture. Food had exploded out of the fridge, after Scootaloo panicked and crashed into it. A few books were charred, courtesy of an accidental panic induced flame burst from Spike. Applebloom somehow ended up on the ceiling, and Sweetiebelle was buried under several thick dictionaries and history books.

Spike disentangled himself from the blankets that had fallen on him, and got the other three fillies out of their predicaments.

"Thanks Spike." Sweetiebelle said shakily, as she was hauled to her hooves.

"No problem Sweetiebelle." Spike said with a smile. He then frowned. "What could've caused that? Not even Rainbow's biggest Sonic Rainboom was that loud." Spike said thoughtfully.

"Uh… I think ya'll should come to the window." Applebloom said fearfully. Spike, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo rushed over to the window. The crystaline rainbow was swirling, transforming into something. They transformed into a massive vortex of swirling, whirling color. The vortex center grew wider, revealing an inky darkness dotted with multicolored orbs of light. Suddenly, the vortex spat out a white comet. As the comet exited the vortex, it dissipated, and attached itself to the comet. It hurtled through the sky, before crashing down in the Everfree Forest.

Spike was awestruck, to say the least. Nothing like this had happened before in Equestria. Suddenly, Twilight burst through the door. She was still wearing her swimsuit, and soaked from horn to hoof. Twilight had a half demented look in her eyes, as she zipped around the library, gathering scientific materials and changing into suitable clothing.

"Spike, watch the library while I'm gone, I'll be back in a few hours, if Celestia sends a scroll, improvise a response, and DO NOT go into the forest." Twilight said as she sprinted out the door. Spike stared at the door where his adoptive mother/best friend/boss ran out of. Twilight never went this nuts over a new thing, not even when she tried to find how Pinkie's 'Pinkie Sense' worked.

Spike turned to the three fillies, only to find them gone. Once again the door shut, and Spike watched as the CMC sped off towards the forest, on Scootaloo's scooter. He sighed, letting his shoulders slump. If those three got lost, not even Zecora would be able to find them, and they didn't know how to navigate the Everfree Forest safely. Besides, if they did wind up missing, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash would probably blame him for letting them get away. Spike shuddered at the thought of being on the receiving end of their wrath. With a heavy sigh, Spike blitzed out the door, determined to bring the CMC back at any cost.

Twilight met up with the rest of the Mane 6 at the edge of the forest. Applejack stood waiting, her arms crossed.

"Where've you been, Sugarcube. We've been waiting half an hour now, and had to send Rainbow ahead to scout a path to the crash." Applejack said irritably. Twilight looked sheepish.

"I was slapping together a tracer, to track the energy through the woods, as I was running over." Twilight replied sheepishly.

"Well, there's no need for that gizmo." A cocky, egotistical voice said. Twilight looked back to see Rainbow Dash touch down, smirking.

"I just found the crash site, and a path to get there." Rainbow stated proudly. Twilight scowled, and opened her mouth to speak, but Applejack stepped in.

"Twilight's gizmo will help us stay on the path to get to the crash site." Applejack said tactfully. Now it was Rainbow's turn to scowl.

"I can keep us on that path, without the help of a weird tracer thingy." Rainbow stated.

"Darling, it's just a backup in case we do get lost." Rarity said soothingly. Rainbow sighed as she fiddled with her flight goggles around her neck.

"Fine, we'll keep it." Twilight relaxed, reassured that her work would pay off.

"And if all else fails, Fluttershy can get directions from the forest creatures." Pinkie Pie exclaimed, as she bounced in. Twilight did a quick headcount.

"Where's Fluttershy?" She asked. Pinkie smiled.

"She had to make sure the animals were okay. She'll be here soon." No sooner were the words out of her mouth, when Fluttershy ran over to the five.

"Sorry… I'm… late." She said quietly between each breath. Applejack smiled kindly.

"It's alright, Sugarcube." Twilight adjusted the strap of her bag, as she looked at the trees.

"Rainbow, since you know the way, you should lead." Twilight said. Rainbow appeared in front of Twilight almost instantaneously.

"Okay everyone, forward march!" The Mane 6 then began the journey into the Everfree Forest.

Elsewhere in the forest…

Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo stared at the trees apprehensively. The two fillies hadn't set foot into the Everfree Forest, not even to accompany their sisters to Zecora's hut. Scootaloo tried not to show it, but she was quite terrified. Their plan was simple. Get to Zecora's hut, enlist her help, and get to the crash site. Zecora knew the forest like the back of her hand, and therefore was the perfect guide to get to the crash.

Applebloom had been elected the guide to get to the hut, because she had been there before and knew the path. They made it ther without incident, but had found the hut empty. After careful consideration, they deduced that Zecora was already going to the crash. Applebloom was now attempting to think of a way to get to their ultimate destination, but no ideas would come.

They had been sitting there for half an hour, when they heard something breaking through the underbrush. Applebloom shot over to her two friends, trembling slightly, as the thing got closer and closer.

"W-w-what if it's a f-friendly creature." Scootaloo stuttered fearfully. Sweetiebelle looked at her orange furred friend, as if her ears had become cabbages.

"In this forest?" Sweetiebelle stated incredulously.

"Knock it off you two. It's most likely just lost." Applebloom said in what she hoped was a soothing tone.

"But what if it's hungry!" Scootaloo exclaimed, no longer attempting to mask her fear. Applebloom swallowed, as the bushes in front of them rustled, and parted. The three relaxed at the sight of a friendly, and annoyed purple dragon.

"Spike!" They exclaimed, hugging him. Spike stared at them, his anger fading at their cuteness.

"Why are you here?" Applebloom said after they stopped clutching him. Spike sighed.

"I came to make sure you're safe… and because I kind of want find the crash." Spike said sheepishly. The three looked at Spike gleefully.

"You wanted to join us?" Sweetiebelle asked excitedly.

"I was planning on doing it myself, but then I decided to do it with you three." Spike said. The Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetiebelle looked at each other ecstatically.

"That's great Spike. Now if we knew where it was." Sweetiebelle mused. Spike grinned broadly.

"You three are in luck, because I know how to get there." Spike said proudly, as he strode off into the thick underbrush. Scootaloo was confused.

"How do you know how to get there?" She asked, as Spike used his claws to cut a new path.

"Dragons have a very acute sense of smell, and that comet-thing had a very particular odor of burnt rubber, the after effects of using elemental magic, and something else I can't identify." Spike called back. "The scent is strong enough to smell it from Twilight's library, but only ponies or other creatures with enhanced olfactory abilities can smell it." Spike explained. The CMC followed their new guide, excitement emanating from every inch of their faces.

Time skip: two hours later.

"Come on girls, the crash site is just up ahead!" Twilight called. She turned back to the tracer, smiling at it. It was doing rather well for a piece of equipment that she had slapped together in half an hour. The trail Rainbow had picked out kept leading them in circles, and Fluttershy couldn't get any of the animals to tell her where the crash site was. The second she mentioned it, the animal took off running. Even the manticore she made friends with shook with fear at its mention.

So, they resorted to Twilight's tracer, after a quick vote on whether they should keep going or turn back. Fluttershy wanted to go back, because of how terrified the animals were, but she was overruled by the majority. She stayed in the back with Rainbow Dash, the latter of which was sulking at being replaced as guide by a machine. Fluttershy endured her rant on how the trail looked clearer from the sky, that the trees deliberately moved themselves to screw up the path, plenty of other excuses and put downs of technology and science in general.

"Rainbow, shut yer trap. We've been listening to your complaining for the last hour, and I for one am done with it." Applejack said, as she turned to face the cyan furred pony. Then and only then did Rainbow shut up. She knew better than to make Applejack mad.

Rainbow was fuming inwardly, when she bumped into Rarity.

"What's going on?" Rainbow said angrily. Rarity hauled Rainbow up to her side.

"Hey, let go of me you-." Rainbow cut herself off. The Mane 6 stood at the edge of a massive crater. The crater was thirty feet wide, and seventeen feet deep. The comet rested in the center, a glowing mass of shifting, crystaline, multicolored light. Twilight was about to jump into the crater, when the comet pulsed. The six mares watched as it pulsed again, then exploded outwards. They ducked behind some nearby bushes, but the light didn't do anything.

They stood back up, and saw a strange creature where the comet used to be. Twilight leaped into the crater, skidding down the side. She ran over to the creature. The others looked at each other, and hopped into the crater. Twilight stared at it, unmoving, and the others saw why.

The creature looked like a pony, but it wasn't. It had no fur on it's body, whatsoever. It's mane only covered the top of its head, only extending to cover a short part of its neck and face. It's legs didn't go extend back at the knees. It didn't have hooves, rather it had feet, and it had no tail. The creature wore a black shirt, a black and red jacket, black fingerless gloves with red lines running along the seams, dark navy blue jeans, white socks, and red shoes with white soles. It's hair was a rich, lustrous shade of chocolate, with a chiseled face, with no muzzle, and tanned skin. The creature was far from scrawny though, possessing a toned, lean figure that simply rippled with muscle.

The silence was interrupted by Applejack's exclamation.

"What in tarnation is that?"

The creature stirred from it's slumbering state, beginning to wake up. Twilight's horn glowed, and the Mane 6 were teleported behind some bushes, hiding them from the creature's sight.

P.O.V shift: Raxtus

I felt like somebody had Irish step danced on me, in cleats, tossed me into an ice bath, used my head as a baseball, which hit a brick wall, and finally fell a thousand feet into lava. In short, I felt like shit. I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my head.

"Why hasn't Spitfire tried to kill Improv yet? Going this long without a morning incident is a new… record…" I stopped mid sentence, as I examined my surroundings. I was sitting in the middle of a thirty foot crater I guessed was sixteen-seventeen feet deep. I couldn't see out of the rim, so I could be anywhere on Earth right now. My backpack was sitting next to me, and I guessed that my grandpa's sword was what I was sitting on.

The second I looked at it, I remembered. Last night. The party, the attack, the explosion,Tenebris, and the rainbow bubble. Worst of all, I realized that the last friends I had were dead. I almost fell back down, as tears flooded my eyes. Everything that happened flooded back, images crowding my mind. The party, battle armor, fleeing, the explosion, Tenebris, Chief when he's enraged, the cliff, and Chief dying. Chief. Out of all of my grandpa's friends, I was closest to Chief. Chief and my grandpa were so alike, that at one point I asked them if they were brothers from different mothers. They weren't, but that's beside the point. Chief was like my grandpa reincarnated. His loss hit me the hardest.

After a few minutes, I wiped the tears from my eyes, and stood up, after emembering what grandpa said when I asked about grandma.

Flashback…

It was my seventh birthday, back when I had friends, and a year before my mom died. It was after the party, when I was practicing with my new dagger. I was pretending I was a warrior with mystical powers, fighting off a horde of monsters. My dagger flashed in front of me, slicing away at make belief demons, smoke coming from each strike, like from my favorite show at the time, Power Rangers (I was young, don't judge).

I had just dispatched the demon general, and was doing my victory pose, when I heard grandpa speaking to himself.

"Just like his grandma." Grandpa blinked a bit, as I realized he had been watching me the entire time. I walked over to him.

"Grandpa, where's grandma?" I saw my grandpa turn towards me, a few tear tracks still present on his face.

"Ummm… errr." I remember grandpa stuttering and looking uncomfortable, and that's when my innocent little mind suddenly clicked.

"Is grandma dead?" I asked hesitantly. Grandpa looked away.

"Yes. Grandma is dead, my child." Grandpa sat down, looking older and more weary than ever before. I climbed into his lap, and leaned against his still muscled chest. Even in his old age, my grandpa still had a rock hard six pack, possibly even an eight pack. I looked up at him.

"Can you tell me a story?" My grandpa smiled at that. He loved telling stories. The best way to cheer him up, was to ask him to tell a story. It was our bedtime ritual. After my mom would tuck me in, she would sit down on the floor, as grandpa told one of his stories. He was a true master at the craft. He could spin stories so convincing, you couldn't tell whether they were real or fabricated.

"What kind of story would you like to hear?" I asked for a story about grandma. His smile never wavered as he told stories of how he met my grandma, their first date, what they did together, some of their adventures before they had my mother, and so many other things. I asked him if this made him sad, talking about grandma. He looked at me, still smiling.

"The people we love will never leave us, no matter what, so long as we remember them. If we remember who they were, what they did, and how they touched our lives, they'll never be gone. If you do this, it'll help you move on, knowing they'll be with you for all eternity."

Flashback end…

I stood up, wiping away tears at the memory. Grandpa was right. I couldn't dwell on this now. As of now, I had to move. I surveyed the crater. My motorcycle wasn't with me, but my backpack was a few feet away from me, right next to grandpa's sword. I rushed over to them.

Somehow, my grandpa's sword had remained in its scabbard. I pulled it out reverently. My grandpa's sword was also the sword I had chosen to master. After my mom died, when I was eight, my grandpa took me in. I wanted to be a warrior like him, and I wanted to fight with a sword. My grandpa gave me a few days to decide which sword to master, and when I told him which one, he stared at me as though my head had suddenly become a pineapple. After he confirmed that I wanted to master this particular blade, he set to work on a rigorous training program.

The blade I chose was what he called the buster sword. These swords are ridiculously huge, between six to eight feet in length (the handle included), and around a foot and a half wide (blade thickness depends on the user's preference). My grandpa's is seven and a half feet long and a foot and a half wide. It's a medieval knight style sword, with the blade forged from obsidian and blue diamond. The obsidian makes up the center of the blade, and the blue diamond outlines it around the edges. The blade connects to a handle made of gold, inlaid with rubies and sapphires. The handle isn't made of pure gold, it's gold and titanium fused together, or so my grandpa says that's what he did when he was forging it.

The sword is incredibly heavy, though. I get that the weight was supposed to be used to generate more powerful swings, but it does make it a pain to carry and to wield, in some cases. Blades like this were used to mow down as many opponents as possible, in an incredibly short time. The downside to these amazing weapons is their weight, and the time it takes to master them. The training required puts you through hell every single day, except it gets more and more rigorous (and excruciating). Training also requires you to learn a variety of martial arts to train the body to balance itself out when fighting with this beast of a blade, and for defense when the sword is out of reach. I started training when I was eight, and finally mastered it 12 years later, but that's only because of my grandpa's training program he had set up. Usually, it takes longer to master this sword, like ten years longer.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder, grabbed by grandpa's sword, and climbed out of the crater. I don't know how I did it with the sword. After a few minutes of rest, I looked around at the forest outside the crater, and then it hit me. I was no longer on Earth. What tipped me off; Earth trees don't have glowing fruit. I set out after comprehending this fact, trudging through the underbrush. I was only a few minutes into my journey when I heard screaming coming from the right. It sounded close. I rushed over to where the screaming was, and stopped a few steps short of entering a small clearing.

Three enormous creatures had surrounded a group of four anthropomorphic beings. There were three ponies, they looked to be in their teenage years, and I was pretty sure they were girls. One had yellow fur and wore a red button down plaid shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a denim skirt. She had her red mane tied into a ponytail secured with a pink bow.

The second had white fur, with a violet and pink mane, and wore a teal t-shirt with navy blue designer jeans, and had a horn on her head, making her a unicorn, I guess?

The last pony had orange fur, a violet mane, and orange wings on her back. A Pegasus. She wore a black flight jacket with a lightning bolt emblem emblazoned on the back, a sky blue tank top, and a black miniskirt.

All three were clutching each other, terrified of the creatures in front of them, that I guessed were manticores. Standing between them and the manticores was an anthro dragon. He had purple scales with green spines running down his back. He wore a green t-shirt, ocean blue jeans, and a grey jacket. He stood in front of the three ponies protectively, his claws out and ready to slash at anything that came at him.

The manticores suddenly struck all at once. I had heard the term 'fur flying' before, but had never witnessed it in person until now. When the dust settled, two of the manticores held the dragon down while the third reared up to strike a killing blow. The dragon was a mess. Lacerations crossed his torso, and deep bites pocked his arms and legs. The orange furred pony stood up, and threw a rock at the third manticore. It bounced off its head, drawing its attention away from the dragon. It backhanded the pony with a sickening snap. That's when I broke.

I lashed out with my Kunai and chains. They stabbed into the back of the third manticore, sinking deeply into its flesh. It roared in pain, as I pulled with all my strength. It fell onto its back, pushing the Kunai further into its body. I ended its misery with a swift slash of my dagger across its throat. Blood spurred out from the artery I severed, effectively ending the manticore's life. I looked at the other two left over.

"Next." I said, rage flooding my tone. The manticores left the downed dragon, and charged me. I stood and let them come. I whipped out my bo staff and slammed it into the ground, launching me above the two preadators, Master Roshi style. They crashed into each other. I lashed out with my Tonfa on my way down while they were disoriented. With each hit I landed, there were sickening snaps. When I landed, the manticores were lying on the ground, writhing in pain. Two slashes later, they moved no more.

I walked over to the dragon, who was staring at me in awe and terror. I kneeled down next to him, and pulled my first aid kit out of my backpack. I grabbed the washcloth, and poured a foul smelling liquid onto it.

"This is going to sting." I said lifting it above one of the lacerations. "A lot." I pressed the cloth to the wound, resulting in a loud hiss of pain from the dragon. I heard whispering behind me, and remembered the orange furred Pegasus.

"Keep holding this to your wounds, I'll patch them up in a few minutes." I gave the dragon the cloth, and dashed over to the Pegasus. She was on her back, whimpering in pain, as her two friends tried to help her.

"I-it's okay Scootaloo." The unicorn said hesitantly. The yellow furred pony stood up shakily at my approach. She clenched her fists, raising them up to fight. I simply grabbed her first punch, flipped her over, and gently set her on the ground.

"I'm not here to hurt her, I'm here to help." I said calmly. I took one look and knew the problem. I knelt down at the pegasus's side.

"Where does it hurt." I asked, just to be sure. She pointed at her arm. It was bent at two different places, and her shoulder was out of place.

"Shit." Was my immediate thought at the bad break. I grabbed my Tonfa, and a lot of gauze from the kit.

"I'm going to splint your arm now, but it's going to hurt a lot." I said as I placed my Tonfa on both sides of her arm. I took a deep breath and moved her arm back into place. She screamed so loudly it was a wonder that the trees didn't shatter. She flailed about, her good arm repeatedly hitting me. I didn't stop until her arm was properly splinted. I stopped, then grabbed her shoulder.

"Your shoulder is dislocated, that's why you can't really move it." I propped her into a stirring position, her back resting against my chest.

"I'm going to pop it back into place." I said. She looked up at me, tears in her eyes.

"Is it going to hurt?" She asked fearfully. I looked into her eyes.

"It will hurt for no longer than a second." I said, making my grip on her shoulder firmer.

"3… 2… 1." I pushed her shoulder back into its socket. She hissed and gasped, but just as I said, only for a second. Her breath steadied as I held her close. I beckoned to the unicorn.

"I need you to stay here with her while I tend to your dragon friend." The unicorn switched spots with me, as I walked over to the dragon. To my surprise, I saw the yellow furred pony tending to him. She moved out of the way, as I bandaged the wounds as best as I could, tightly wrapping them with gauze.

"Can you walk?" I asked as I stood up. The young dragon tried to stand up, but kept falling in pain.

"Crud." I thought. I would have to carry him back to wherever he came from. I walked over to the manticore corpses, and pulled out my Kunai. It took quite a bit of effort, because my Kunai have minuscule barbs on them, each one effectively stopping them from coming out easily.

After I pulled them out, I picked up the dragon, gathered the three ponies, and set out from the forest.

Time skip: two hours later…

We had been walking for hours, until we all finally reached the ponie's treehouse. I had learned the names of the three fillies were Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo, and the dragons name was Spike. Spike was deceptively heavy for a dragon of his size. Normally his weight wouldn't be a problem, but when I was also carrying an extremely heavy sword on my back, along with my backpack, and having to carry all that over rough terrain for two hours, and you can see why I was ready to drop to the ground.

We reached the treehouse safely, where Applebloom, Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo said they could stay for a bit. Spike however had to be taken into the hospital, because I had run out of gauze to change his bandages, he had lost too much blood, and we were running the risk of having his wounds infected. After resting at the treehouse for a minute, I picked up Spike, and rushed off as fast as I could to the hospital.

I had made it into the town when I was hit in the face by a giant purple blast of light. Instantly, I was knocked off my feet, landing rather painfully on my back. I stood back up, albeit a bit shakily, when a cyan blur slammed into my midsection. I was thrown back into the street, slamming up against a wall. Now I irritated. What the hell hit me?

"Get out of Ponyville, and stay away!" Yelled a tomboyish voice. I shook my head to clear my vision, and saw a cyan furred Pegasus in front of me. She wore a black flight jacket with a lightning bolt emblazoned on the front over a white tank top, and jeans. Flight goggles hung around her neck. For some reason, this Pegasus has a rainbow mane. No seriously, her mane was every color of the rainbow. She looked familiar, though I couldn't exactly place who she reminded me of.

Behind her was a violet furred unicorn, wearing what looked like a private academy uniform. Her horn was glowing, a violet aura surrounding it. I'm pretty sure she shot out that bolt of energy.

I decided it was best to leave, and possibly never come back. Why not return? I'd rather live, seeing as nothing is more deadly than an angry woman, no matter what species they are.

"As you wish." I said tiredly. The Pegasus looked shocked as I turned and left town. I fled for the forest, my last place of refuge. From what I could tell, the Pegasus was expecting a fight from me. I figured that the Forest was feared by the ponies, most likely because of the creatures that live there. I didn't mention this before, but when I was carrying Spike back to the town, I saw creatures prowling around in shadows, heard growling, snarling, and the occasional distant roar. I figured the Forest was my best bet if I wanted to stay hidden from the ponies.

I finally found my way back to the clearing where I killed the manticores. I sat down heavily against a tree, letting tears come to my eyes. I had just earned the trust of three new ponies and a dragon, only to lose it all again. I had lost my grandpa's friends, the last ones I had before being brought here. I was just losing it. I had been diagnosed with major depression when I was ten, and I've been fighting against it all my life. It's part of why my grandpa talked me into mastering a weapon. First off, it would teach me to control myself. Second, all that training and exercise would send more endorphins to my brain, further helping me combat my depression, and finally, I would also learn how to defend myself and others when it became necessary.

Needless to say, it worked. After my grandpa died, training helped to take my mind off of his death, and helped me get through high school. My training is a big part of my life now, I don't know what I would do without it.

All the pent up grief and pain I was carrying around was coming out in full force. I couldn't hold it in anymore. There was too much to handle. After a while, I stood up, and assessed my situation. I had to survive. There was a fresh brook not too far from this clearing, and I fortunately had a water filter in my backpack. I was good on water. The trees helped provide plenty of shelter, and there was a large amount of dead twigs and branches on one side of the clearing, perfect for making a shelter. I could survive on manticore meat from the three carcasses nearby, and I could use their skin to create some shelter. I had steel for a striker, all I needed was some flint, or a magnifying glass, and I could have fire.

It was time to survive. How long, I had no idea.

Author's Note: Raxtus' first day in Equestria, wasn't exactly the best. As far as he is concerned, the Mane 6 hate him, and he probably won't be able to see his new friends anymore. At least, that's what he thinks at the moment. Not to worry, not to worry, things will get better in future chapters. So, please bear with me for the time being. I hope to see your comments on this chapter. Please post reviews, or P.M me if you don't want the public to view them. Your feedback really does help. This is Imagineer379 signing off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I'd like to apologize to everybody reading this story for the long update wait. I'll try my best to get future chapters up as quickly as possible in the future. Just so you know, this fanfic was inspired by the fanific Equestrian Human Spirit, which was written by Anime_King_666. Man, I loved that story. I was unimaginably depressed when it was taken off of . I did find a few chapters that are up on Wattpad though, if any of you are interested. Special thanks to Manx1musofsparta and ultranova1225 for your positive comments. I'll try to do better on descriptions in the future. Now, without further ado, please enjoy Chapter 3 of Equestria's Human Guardian.**

Chapter 3

Rainbow Dash stared at the fleeing creature. She expected a fight, heck she wanted a fight, but it just left. It was compliant. No creature would just comply with a statement like that. It was puzzling.

Rainbow was shaken from her train of thought, when she remembered Spike. Spike! Rainbow sprinted over to Twilight, who currently held Spike in her arms. Spike looked paler than usual, and had bloody bandages basically everywhere on his person. His breath was shallow. It instantly clicked in Rainbow's head; Spike was suffering from extreme blood loss.

Rainbow scooped Spike up in her arms, against Twilight's protesting, and flew off at maximum speed to the hospital. She blasted through the doors, terrifying a few patrons, just as Dr. Whooves came out.

"Dr. Whooves!" Rainbow exclaimed, landing in front of him. The doctor's eyes widened at the sight of the young dragon, and understood.

"There's an open room on the left, number 13. I'll meet you there for the transfusion." Rainbow was gone after Dr. Whooves named the room. The equipment was set up, and an anxious Twilight was pacing the floor of the waiting room, watched by the rest of the Mane 6, who were vainly attempting to assuage her fears. Within 15 minutes, Spike was stable. Dr. Whooves walked into the waiting room, smiling.

"He's alright. He'll be fine." Twilight burst into tears of joy, hugging the doctor until his face was blue, barely hearing the purple unicorn's statements of gratitude. Applejack finally freed Dr. Whooves from Twilight's grip, so he could actually breathe.

"Spike will wake up in a few hours, after his body adjusts to the transfusion. I'll let you know when he wakes up." Dr. Whooves said between breaths. The Mane 6 turned to leave when the CMC walked through the door, Scootaloo's arm in a splint. Rainbow went crazy at the sight of her adopted sister's arm being broken.

After some time, Scootaloo's arm was properly casted. Scootaloo was in tears when Dr. Whooves said she couldn't be as physically active as she wanted for the next six weeks, which meant no scootering for a month and a half. The second the nine ponies convened in Twilight's library, the interrogation began.

"Okay you three. How did Scoots' arm get broken?" Rainbow demanded, glaring at the CMC.

"Well…" Sweetiebelle started, when she was interrupted by Rarity.

"How in Equis's name did you ruin your good clothes I painstakingly made for you?" Rarity cried out overdramatically. It was true. Their clothes were torn, not too badly though, and muddy beyond belief.

"Well, ya see…" Applebloom attempted to explain, when the three were bombarded by a wave of questions from Pinkie Pie.

"Wherewereyouthree, wereyouatapartywithoutme, *gasp*youwereeatapartywithoutmeIknowitIjustknowit, wasitgoodatallbecauseIwa-" Pinkie was cut short by Twilight's hand covering her mouth.

"Girls, I'm sure they'll explain where they've been, and how they got into this mess if we stop interrupting them with questions." Twilight said semi-calmly. The others looked away, slightly embarrassed. Twilight the turned her gaze to the three fillies.

"We need you to explain how you got into this state, and don't leave anything out." The three gulped in unison at Twilight's look. They were silent for a moment, when Applebloom told them about their mini adventure. How they went into the forest to find the comet, how Spike found them and was leading them to it, the manticore attack, the creature defending them from the angry manticores (this segment got massive gasps and wide eyed stares) how he had patched them up, and ended upon the creature taking Spike off to the hospital.

The story was met with silence, which was broken by Twilight's phone ringing. Everypony jumped at the sound, as Twilight answered it.

"Hello?"

"Twilight, It's Dr. Whooves. Spike is awake." Twilight relayed the news to everypony in the room, and they rushed out to the hospital. Dr. Whooves was waiting for them at the doors.

"His body has taken the transfusion better than I expected." Dr. Whooves explained as he led them to Spike's door.

"Don't overload him with too many questions." Dr. Whooves said, as he left them for another patient he had to tend to. Spike was propped up in the hospital bed, an IV in his right arm, fresh bandages on, and reading a comic book. He looked up upon Twilight's entry, and broke into a wide grin.

"Hey Twilight. What's up?" Spike said nonchalantly, as he set his comic book aside. Twilight embraced him, tears flowing down her cheeks. She let go and looked at him questioningly. Spike had a bad feeling about this.

"Spike, we have a story from these three." Twilight motioned to the sheepish CMC. "That we need you to confirm." Spike shifted uneasily at his adoptive mother/big sister's tone.

"So Spike, how did you get hurt this badly?" Twilight asked, a scroll and quill in front of her. Spike gulped. He didn't want Raxtus to get into trouble, nor did he want him to be the center of a stallion hunt, but he couldn't lie to Twilight, not with Applejack in the room. The mare was a living lie detector.

"I tried to fight off three manticores." Spike said shamefaced. Now he had done it. They'd ask about Raxtus, deduce he went into the forest, and hunt him down. Twilight would most likely perform some experiments on him to figure out what he was, causing him to distrust the others, and probably make an enemy out of his new, strange friend.

Applejack confirmed he was telling the truth, and Twilight began the next question.

"Why were you in the forest in the first place." Spike gulped. Each answer would bring him closer to revealing his new friend.

"I went after Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo." Applejack narrowed her eyes at Spike's answer.

"And to find the comet thing." Spike finished. Applejack looked satisfied with his answer. Twilight decided to ask the big one.

"Did a strange creature kill the manticores." Spike began to sweat. He fidgeted.

"No." Spike finally said. Applejack leaned forward, her eyes narrowed.

"That was an outright lie, Sugarcube." Applejack said. Spike gulped.

"Spike, tell the truth." Twilight said, her voice hard. Spike sighed. He had to.

'Forgive me Raxtus.' Spike thought. "Yes, he did." Spike said, closing his eyes. The CMC stared at him. They were thinking along the same lines as Spike, and didn't want Raxtus to be hunted either. Twilight wrote it down.

"Spike, can you tell us how he did it?" Rainbow asked. Spike stared at the cyan speedster, trying to figure out why Rainbow would ask. Then it clicked; if Raxtus could take down three manticores, then Rainbow wanted to get a feel for his skills and strength. That and she loved action stories.

"We were almost to the crater, when we stopped to take a break from walking. I was just getting back up, when the manticores jumped out of nowhere. They cornered us, and I slashed at one when they attacked all at once. I was overwhelmed, and they would've eaten me, had Raxtus not intervened." Spike said. Twilight furrowed her brow. "The creature's name is Raxtus?" Spike nodded before he continued.

"Two manticores held me down, and the thirst was about to slit my throat, when it was hit by a rock that Scootaloo threw. It backhanded her, breaking her arm. It would've eaten the three, but Raxtus attacked. He pulled the manticore back, making it fall over, and cut its throat. The other two charged him. He took out a staff, vaulted over their heads, making them collide. He then pulled out two metal rods with handles on them, used them to crack the manticore's skulls, knocked them back, and put them out of their misery." Spike said. Rainbow looked shocked, awed, excited, and a bit shameful.

"After he did that, he cleaned my wounds, splinted Scootaloo's arm, popped her shoulder back into place, bandages me up, and led us out of the forest. I blacked out after he changed my bandages for the third time, and all I remember was waking up here." Spike finished, surveying the faces of the mares. Applejack's jaw hung open, amazed at Raxtus's strength. Pinkie Pie was shocked into silence. Fluttershy and Rarity held expressions of awe at Raxtus's kindness. Twilight and Rainbow looked ashamed, making Spike's brow furrow.

"Twilight, Rainbow. I think you have something to explain to us." Spike said, folding his arms. Twilight took a deep breath.

"When he was carrying you here, I thought he was the one who had hurt you, so I attacked him." Twilight said shamefully bowing her head.

"I kind of did the same, after I saw Twilight knock him back. I figured that she knew he was an enemy, so I followed her lead." Rainbow said, embarrassment creeping into her voice. Spike and the CMC were shocked.

"You WHAT!?" Spike exclaimed. Twilight bristled at his tone.

"Don't take that tone with me, Spike." She said dangerously. Spike glared at Twilight, opened his mouth to say more, when the door suddenly closed. Once again, the three young fillies were gone. Spike's eyes widened, as everypony in the room came to the same conclusion; the CMC had gone to find Raxtus.

When the three heard that Raxtus was attacked by a mistaken Twilight, the three looked at each other, and instantly came to a decision. Raxtus wouldn't trust Twilight or the others, but he would listen to them. That and they were pretty sure he would appreciate some company.

They split up after exiting the hospital, agreeing to meet up at the treehouse after they were sure the Mane 6 weren't following them. Applebloom ran off towards Sugarcube Corner, Sweetiebelle headed to Twilight's Library, and Scootaloo sprinted to the Sweet Apple Acres barn. The Mane 6 burst out the doors of the hospital, a few minutes after the fillies split up.

"We'll split up and find them." Twilight said decisively. "Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, go out and get the animals on the lookout." Fluttershy and Pinkie instantly left after receiving instruction.

"Applejack, Rainbow, circle Ponyville so they don't get out of here." Twilight said. "We'll call you if we see any of them." Rainbow said before rocketing into the sky.

"Rarity, you're with me. We need to use our magic to search the buildings." Twilight said, her horn glowing.

"I'll start with my boutique, you take the farm. We'll cover more ground that way." Rarity said, her own horn glowing. The two sprinted off in opposite directions. Little did they know, there was one who already had a plan.

Spike took the IV out of his arm and snuck into the hospital storage. He spotted his backpack, grabbed a fresh change of clothes from it, and snuck out the window in his room. Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo would get caught one way or another, but they would never suspect Spike of going back to see Raxtus. They'd find out when Dr. Whooves found him missing from his room.

Spike entered the forest unnoticed, after hiding from Rainbow Dash's sight. He pulled out Raxtus's Tonfa, smelled them, and set out.

Scootaloo dove inside the treehouse, after narrowly avoiding Angel Bunny. He had probably scampered off to notify Fluttershy, after seeing her. Scootaloo stretched a piece of red string across the top of the doorway, which was the new code for meeting at the secret CMC bunker. Applebloom had discovered the bunker some time ago. It was the first CMCHQ before they moved to the treehouse. After Discord and the Changeling attack, they decided to use the bunker as an emergency hideaway in case problems arose.

Scootaloo left the treehouse through the secret hatch in the floor. The bunker had three entrances; one nestled between two roots at Twilight's Library, one under the back room of the Sugarcube Corner, and one in an alleyway across from the water tower. Scootaloo went for the water tower entrance. After narrowly avoiding Applejack and her lasso, she managed to loose her and get to the alley.

The entryway was cleverly concealed inside a large metal trash can. It must've been designed by a master wizard, because if you moved the can, the entrance was basically invisible. You could only access this entrance if the can was in place. Once the can is in place, hop inside it, and place the lid on top. Once the lid is in place, the hatch will appear in the floor of the can.

Scootaloo pulled off the lid, clambered inside, and put on the lid. She waited for a moment, before feeling the dial appear at her hooves. She tapped it twice with her left hoof, and stomped on it once with her right. The hatch suddenly melted away, and down she fell. Scootaloo loved the rush of racing along the tube that led to the bunker. She fell onto the mat a few seconds later, her heart racing.

Scootaloo stood up, dusted off her clothes, and surveyed the room. It was the size of the barn at Sweet Apple Acres, full of old furniture, dusty blankets, ancient games, books, and many, many other nick nacks that they hadn't been able to identify. When they first moved into the bunker, it was a mess. Tables were overturned, furniture scattered, and everything was covered with a thick layer of dust.

Now, the room was more orderly. There was a central table with three chairs surrounding it. Games and books were stacked into enormous towers surrounding the table. The CMC flag hung from a tattered rope anchored to the ceiling above the main table. Glowing crystals lined the walls in sconces, providing a good light source. A massive circular door was embedded in the back wall, farthest from the table. It was at least as big as Big Mac standing upright.

Scootaloo was walking around a tower of games, when she tripped. Scootaloo's right arm shot out, grabbing on to one of the crystals to balance herself. It moved as Scootaloo pulled herself upright. A section of the wall opened up next to the crystal's sconce with a loud grinding and squealing. Scootaloo stared at the space room beyond the opening.

It held a desk with several blueprints, maps, and designs hanging from the walls. Scootaloo picked up the one on top, along with a large notebook. She took them back to the central table, for better examining. She had just set it down when Applebloom slid down the tube. She was panting heavily, with a bit of frosting in her mane. Scootaloo snickered as she sat down next to the orange furred Pegasus

"What've you got there?" Applebloom asked. Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Sweetiebelle sliding in. Their unicorn friend's mane was frazzled, her eyes wide, and she was clutching a stack of books.

"You have no idea what I went through to get these." Sweetiebelle panted, placing the books on the table, before sitting down heavily. Applebloom looked at Sweetiebelle and the books.

"I got these books from the library, but I was caught by my sister. I barely made it out." Sweetiebelle said, her breath becoming more controlled.

"How did you get out?" Scootaloo asked. Sweetiebelle smirked.

"I'm pretty sure my sister regrets teaching me how to manipulate clothing with magic." Sweetiebelle replied. Scootaloo leaned forward.

"What did you DO?"

"I turned her favorite outfit into a straight jacket, and tied her up in the blankets from Twilight's bed before escaping." Scootaloo laughed, and Applebloom snorted.

"I had to get away from Pinkie in Sugarcube Corner." Applebloom said, resting her hooves on the table.

"She had bubblegum." Applebloom said, shivering slightly. Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle stared at the farm fillie in awe. When the pink party pony has access to bubblegum, you run and pray she forgot her party cannon. Nopony in existence has escaped Pinkie Pie when she's armed with bubblegum. Twilight had once said that even if Starswirl the Bearded were there, not even he could help a pony escape from Pinkie's bubblegum.

"Anyway, this emergency meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders shall now come to order." Scootaloo said in an authoritative voice.

"Raxtus is alone in the woods, and has been given a not so warm welcome from the Mane 6. It's up to us to make sure he knows it was a misunderstanding, and that he can return to Ponyville when he wishes." Scootaloo said. Sweetiebelle and Applebloom nodded their heads in agreement.

"We'll have to prepare for a trip into the woods, but preparations have to be discreet." Sweetiebelle said. Applebloom looked nervous.

"I'm not sure I can sneak away supplies without Applejack noticing." Applebloom stated.

"Just put them into the treehouse and we'll pick them up later." Scootaloo said. Applebloom nodded her head. She could say it was for the CMC, which was technically true, and thus get around Applejack's lie detector ability.

"The big issue is how we're going to get into the woods." Sweetiebelle said. Applebloom was thinking of various ways, when Scootaloo smiled, and pulled the blueprint she had gotten earlier towards the three.

"Girls, this is a blueprint of the bunker." Scootaloo said proudly. The other two stared at the paper. It showed an older version of Ponyville, the tunnels underneath, and the bunker itself. One particular detail caught their eyes. One massive tunnel was shown leading into the Everfree Forest. All heads turned to the massive door at the back, and smiled in unison.

"We can use the tunnel to get to the forest!" Sweetiebelle exclaimed.

"Without any of our sisters knowin'!" Applebloom added excitedly. Scootaloo frowned.

"One wrinkle though, it's labeled as a one way exit, not a way back in." Scootaloo said. That last comment put a damper on their spirits.

"So… we'll have to come back to Ponyville through the woods." Sweetiebelle said.

"Where we'll be seen by Twilight and the others." Applebloom said, dejectedly. Scootaloo nodded sadly. The three then discussed who would bring what, when it should be brought, and what day to set out. They decided on going in three days, right after lunch. The CMC then left the bunker through up until that point was the only exit. It led to a secret hatch in the barn floor of Sweet Apple Acres. Like the forest door, it was a one way exit.

The three were walking to the treehouse, when a rope pulled them back. They found themselves at the hooves of an angry Applejack.

"Gotcha." She said smirking. Then, her phone went off. Applejack smiled.

"Well, now I can tell Twilight I have ya'll here." Applejack answered her phone.

"Hey Twilight. Yeah, I've got them right here in my lasso." Applejack's smile faded, and her eyes flicked back to the three fillies she roped.

"Are ya serious, Sugarcube? He's really gone? Say no more, I'll be with ya as soon as I get these three back to their homes. See ya then Twilight." Applejack said, as she hung up the phone. She untied the three fillies.

"Now you three go straight home. Spike's missing." Applejack said before they could ask anything. Their eyes widened. When they left, Spike must've gone out too, thinking they had gone back into the forest. They watched Applejack sprint away to wherever Twilight was. The three looked at each other, as if having a mental conversation.

"Look, the sun is beginning to set, and nopony ever sets foot in the Everfree Forest at nightfall." Sweetiebelle said, gesturing to the western horizon. It was true. Night was when the worst creatures appeared in the dreaded forest. Not even Zecora would dare venture out when night fell in the forest.

"My sister's right girls. We should head home." Applebloom said sadly. The three walked back to their respective houses, all thinking the same thing; 'will Spike be okay?'

Spike was beginning to feel very very fearful. It was sunset, and he still hadn't found Raxtus. Even worse, he couldn't even find his way back to Ponyville. His superb sense of smell had led him in circles. He couldn't find any trace of Raxtus. His scent was here, that much was sure, but it just vanished the second Spike left the area. It was bizarre. Spike just sat down, letting tears flow freely. He felt like a failure, when he heard growling.

Spike jerked his head up, and saw a Timberwolf in front of him. He felt all blood rush to his feet. Whenever there was one, the pack was right behind it, hiding in the shadows. Spike stood up shakily, as the massive wolf growled again. Spike felt something inside him, an arcane, primal instinct. It rose up, surging through his brain, dominating all rationality. Spike growled in response, before he knew what he was doing. The Timberwolf looked surprised, but then it howled.

Spike's instincts overruled his common sense, and he charged the wolf, claws flashing. He grabbed the wolf around its muzzle, abruptly ending its call. Spike sank his claws into its thick, bark-like hide, and pulled down. The wolf finally reacted, slashing at Spike's face, knocking him back into the feet of another Timberwolf. It's jaws clamped down on Spike's shoulder as a third began clawing at his already injured chest. More and more wolves joined in as Spike cried out in pure agony.

P.O.V shift: Raxtus

After several hours of backbreaking work, I had a shelter and fire pit set up. I was quite fortunate to find a large piece of flint lying in the crater I ended up in. Making the shelter wasn't too tricky either. When my grandpa and I went camping together, we didn't bring a tent, we made our own lean-to shelters for the night. Every campout with grandpa was essentially a wilderness survival trip. We had to bring our own firewood, but aside from that, it was wilderness survival. As I got older, the trips would last two, three, sometimes even four days. The most memorable was when my grandpa, Chief, Improv, Spitfire, and Sneakers joined us for a massive trip. It was when I was 13. Grandpa got one of his helicopter pilot friends to drop us off in a secluded part of the woods, far from the town. We were supposed to find our way back within four days, but it went sideways.

The pilot got the area WAY messed up, and dropped us off sixty miles away from the spot that was chosen. It resulted in a ten day survival hike back to town, in the middle of winter. Plenty of interesting things happened during the trip, many of which were so funny, I can't describe them without dissolving into a hysterical mess of uncontrollable laughter. It really centered around Improv doing stupid things, and annoying everybody (Spitfire in particular, who used Improv as a living sled on multiple occasions during the trip). That's honestly all I can say about it, aside from the fact that it was cold, wet, and very very difficult. Grandpa didn't take me on any camp outs for a year, but took me on the Appalachian Trail two weeks after my fourteenth birthday. The point I'm trying to make is that I have lots of experience with wilderness survival.

I had just finished digging out the fire pit, when I heard a loud howl, and then an inhuman cry of agony a short while later. My heart lurched. That was the sound I made when my dad murdered my mother in front of me. That's a long and agonizing story for another time. I had my Kunai and chains and dagger in hand, before I rocketed off in the direction of the scream. I saw weird tree wolves the size of Great Danes ravaging a squirming creature. This perplexed me. No creature found in the woods could produce such a cry. I said it sounded inhuman, simply because that was the only word I could think of to describe what Inigo Montoya said was 'the sound of Ultimate Suffering'. My question was answered when I beheld Spike's head surging above the mass of treelike wolves. He was pulled back under, and more screams came from him, albeit a bit muffled. They rent my heart in two. I shifted into overdrive, and pulled a Miss Scrimmage. If you've read Gordon Korman's _Zucchini Warriors_ , and you remember the last touchdown of the final game, you'll know what I'm talking about.

P.O.V shift: third person

Spike was sure he was about to die. He felt himself slipping in and out of consciousness as the timberwolves chewed on him. Then, it stopped. There were several bowls of pain, lots of grunting, slashing, and growling. Spike shook himself awake, and the sight made him cry tears of joy and fear.

Raxtus was in the center of the pack, fending off twenty timberwolves at once. He was a blur of kicks, punches, and whirling blades attached to the ends of long, thin chains. The timberwolves were backing off, and Raxtus slowed down, waiting for their next move. He stared them down, primal, unbridled fury etched into every nook and cranny of his face. They suddenly charged him from every direction in a massive wave of fangs and claws.

Their combined force toppled Spike's new guardian. Raxtus tumbled to the ground, engulfed by the vengeful, hungry mass. Spike could only watch paralyzed by agonizing suspense. Raxtus's cries of pain mingled with the satisfied howls of the mass of wolves. Spike felt tears cascading down his scaly cheeks.

"Get off of me!" Raxtus roared.

The wolves were suddenly thrown back, tossed back like rag dolls by an inhuman strength fueled by primal, raging fury. Raxtus had deep bite marks and lacerations all across his muscled body. His clothes were in tatters, and soaked in a thick, viscous flood of his own blood and a sap-like amber liquid. He stood in front of Spike, a mountain that couldn't be killed.

He turned and roared at the wolf pack, daring any of them to come try again. The wolves cowered at this new thing they made the mistake of attacking. They fled into the woods to lick their wounds, leaving the two behind. Raxtus turned, and slid next to Spike, fury replaced with concern. Spike didn't say anything, as Raxtus picked him up, and carried him out. That was the last thing Spike remembered.

P.O.V shift: Raxtus

Those wolves were smart. That's all I will say on the matter. Once again, I was carrying my young dragon friend back to the town, hopefully this time I'd get in and out unnoticed, and unscathed. I knew the way now, after stopping by Applebloom's, Sweetiebelle's, and Scootaloo's treehouse, I took a longer path on the outskirts of town. It certainly took longer, but it lessened the chance that I would be seen. It was nightfall when I finally reached the hospital. The receptionist was out at the moment, so I propped Spike up on a chair, and left a note, escaping out the door just as the receptionist came back. I simply hoped that Spike would get the care he needed.

My next issue; clothing. They were slashed up, barely holding together. I had to find some way to patch them up. After hiding behind a massive tree that had been turned into a house (I was hiding from the purple unicorn from before, as she rushed out of it), when I spotted a sign. The building looked like a carousel. The sign proclaimed it to be Rarity's Carousel Boutique. I smiled with relief. Maybe in there I could patch up my clothes.

I approached the front of the boutique silently, when lights suddenly clicked on. There was scuffling, someone calling out to someone else, and then I heard someone coming for the door. I acted on instinct, and leaped into the nearest bushes. Good news, they were thick and hid me from sight. Bad news, they were rosebushes. I bit back several choice curses, as the front door opened, shut, and someone raced away. I clambered out of the bushes, doing my best not to scream, and checked the door. It was unlocked. I didn't like having to be breaking and entering, but I didn't have any extra clothes on hand, and I needed to shield myself from the elements somehow.

I took a few minutes to marvel at the beauty of the clothing displayed. It was just too amazing to even attempt to describe. Whoever created these truly had talent. I couldn't find a needle or thread anywhere, so I headed upstairs. Once up, I was greeted by several doors. All but one was closed, so I went there first. I struck gold. The room contained numerous fabrics, patterns, modeling dummies, sewing machines, pins, threads, and needles.

I grabbed a roll of black thread, a needle, sat down, and started to work. I was fortunate that most of the tears in my clothes weren't too long, otherwise I would have a much more difficult time. I had finished up with my pants and shirt, put them back on, and was working on my jacket, when I heard a voice behind me.

"R-Raxtus!?" I whirled around, and saw Sweetiebelle standing in the doorway in her pyjamas. She lived here? We stared at each other, before she hesitantly stepped into the room.

"Why are ya here, and covered in blood." I sighed. This could take a while.

"Short answer, I'm here to patch up my clothes." I said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Why am I covered in blood? I had to fight off a pack of these weird tree-wolves attempting to eat Spike." I'm not really a guy who beats around the bush. I tend to be pretty straightforward. Sweetiebelle stared at me, amazement flooding her face.

"Y-You fought off a pack of Timberwolves on your own?" she asked in amazement. I studied her face.

"I think I should start at the beginning." I said slowly, sitting back down. I then told Sweetiebelle how I had been setting up my shelter and living space, hearing Spike's cry of pain, attacking the wolves, defending him from them, taking him to the hospital, and coming here. Sweetiebelle had come over and sat on my lap while I was telling the story.

"And that's how it happened." I said, wincing a bit. Sweetiebelle hopped off my lap, looking at me in concern. I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I quickly stripped off my shirt again, and saw the problem. I had been running adrenaline, and as a result my body had ignored the pain until it started relaxing. I surveyed the various bite marks, claw trails and lacerations. I was out of gauze and ace bandage, seeing as I used it all on Spike. There was only one thing left to use. I snagged my jacket, and pulled out a roll of duct tape.

Once again, I have my grandpa to thank for teaching me this little trick. We were out in Yellowstone National Park, when I was about ten years old, and there was a Bison that wasn't having a good day. I was following every rule my grandpa told me about concerning the park. I wasn't even remotely close to the Bison. I was about twenty five-ish feet away, when it just charged me. I managed to get out of the way, as my grandpa somehow was able to wrestle in to the ground. I stood back up after grandpa had finished, when I felt a surging pain in my side. I saw a pretty big tear in my shirt, which was stained with blood. Grandpa ran over, looked at it, and pulled out a roll of duct tape. He used a piece of silk he had on him at the time, and made a pretty secure bandage out of duct tape and the silk. He then alerted the Nature Center, and got me to a hospital. Apparently, that bandage was nearly as good as the stitches I had to have.

I remembered this years later, and started ripping off pieces of my shirt to use as bandages. After a few minutes, I was patched up. My shirt wasn't as lucky. I had somehow made the makeshift bandages perfectly outline the well developed muscles my body had. I turned around and saw Sweetiebelle blushing up a storm, at the sight of me shirtless.

" _Wow, I should probably put my shirt back on_." I thought as the fourteen year old began to look over the slabs of toned muscle I had put on over the years. I put on my shirt and jacket (Sweetiebelle pouted a bit), when I saw a mare standing in the doorway. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, because this unicorn was just drop dead gorgeous. She had pure white fur, just like Sweetiebelle's, a deep indigo mane which was elegantly styled, and royal blue eyes. She wore a blue button down collared shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and a black non-pleated skirt.

She stared at me, and I stared back, but then her horn began to glow. I went on autopilot, and jumped towards the fastest exit; the closed window. Please do not do this at home. The glass shattered upon impact, as I suged through the new opening, as gravity took hold. I didn't have any broken bones, but another set of rosebushes cushioned my fall. Seriously, who decreed that rosebushes must have thorns?

I clambered out of the bushes once again, and sprinted off towards the woods. I couldn't take the same route I did before, so I took the shortest route, which took me straight through town square. I managed to avoid the purple furred unicorn from before, but barely. Once again, I sprinted to the woods, determined to make it, seeing as I wasn't welcome here. I almost made it, when a familiar cyan blur crashed into me. This time, I managed to block it with my forearms, so it only pushed me back. I lowered my arms to see the cyan furred pegasus from before, but it looked like she was in the process of getting ready for bed, when she was alerted.

She was making quite a fashion statement. She wore only a pair of black flannel pyjama pants with lightning bolts patterned on them, her black flight jacket, and a fluorescent orange bra. I tried not to stare, and I feel like a total pervert for saying this, but she had a pretty big chest, a c-cup at least. Without her tank top, I could see she was pretty muscular, not to the point of becoming gross, but muscled enough. Truth be told, it made her look pretty dang hot. She saw me staring, blushed and then glared at me. I then forced my silver eyes to meet her violet eyes.

"Why are you blocking my way." I asked as calmly as I could. She looked at me, fire burning in her gaze.

"Because I need to talk to you." She said, her voice a bit edgy. I relaxed a bit.

"If you wanted to speak to me, all you had to do was ask." I replied, trying to keep a calm tone. It kind of worked. She looked at me, perplexed, probably expecting a different answer. I sighed, because I didn't have time for this. I took a deep breath, and sprinted to the farmhouse to my left.

"Hey!" I had to lose her. She was fast, blazingly fast. I had to find a way to work around that. I jumped over the fence, flipping in mid-air to minimize the shock of the landing. I hit the ground running, sprinting for the barn, as another orange furred pony burst out of the farmhouse, a lasso in hand. My best bet was to hide, lure them in, and then escape. I readied my Kunai and Chains.

I heard a whoosh of air behind me, and backflipped up at the last second, watching a cyan streak rocket out underneath me. I threw my Kunai, praying this worked like it did in training. It did. The Kunai lodged themselves in a high window ledge, acting as grappling hooks. I made a quick loop in the chains, and pulled with everything I had. I shot up, propelled by my own momentum. I managed to fly through the window, into a soft pile of hay. I yanked my Kunai out from the ledge, and pulled them back inside the sleeves of my jacket.

Okay, quick timeout. I need to explain how my Kunai and chains work. Typically, Kunai and Chains are used for sword warriors who are better suited for long to mid range combat. Normally, both Kunai are attached to one long chain, so one side shoots out, the other pulls itself back for use, and vice versa. Well, my grandpa didn't like that system. He thought it limited the wielder immensely. So, being the brilliant (and incredibly stubborn) man he was, he created what he called the recoil unit. It's essentially two miniscule, independent coils of small, yet nearly indestructible chains coiled around a small central wheel. Each chain gets own wheel. The wheels automatically coil the chains back up at the wielder's leisure, or when the chains have reached maximum length. The unit is about the size of a computer mouse, but it's only about an eighth of an inch thick. My grandpa actually proved that his method was better than the old way. Then, my grandpa added seven more wheels to the recoil unit, and invented the 'Nine Chains Combat Form', where, as the name implies, a warrior fights with nine Kunai and chain at once, eight held in the spaces between your fingers, and one in your teeth. I can only wield up to four chains at once. I kept the regular two chain unit. It's sewn inside the back of my jacket, and the chains slide out of the sleeves. I can hide the Kunai by slipping them into a special holding unit, located around my elbow joint. It keeps the Kunai covered, so the barbs don't dig into my skin, and it allows me to slip the kunai into my hands at a moment's notice. Now that that's out of the way, I can keep going with the story.

I scrambled to hide myself in the shadows of the barn loft. I slowed my breathing so the ponies wouldn't be able to hear it. My plan was working, as the door was flung open. However, I never accounted for four more ponies to come after me. Two I had never seen before, the white furred unicorn, and the purple furred unicorn. They accompanied the cyan furred pegasus and the orange furred pony.

"He's in here somewhere Twilight. Ah saw him shoot through that window up in the loft." a southern voice said. I quietly crept along the floor of the loft, keeping my breath low, as they came further into the barn. I grit my teeth, planning a jump route. I climbed on to one of the rafters, as the unicorns used their horns as flashlights, scanning the loft. I stuck to the middle of the rafters, continuing my silent journey to the open door.

They stopped halfway in. My breath caught in my throat. They needed to go in a little further for my plan to work.

"I don't think he's in here anymore Applejack." I heard one of the ponies say.

"Maybe he slipped out another way." A proper, upper class voice said. I assumed it was the white furred unicorn.

"Okay girls, We'll have to fan out and find him then." I heard a voice say, as they began to leave.

" _NONONONONONO!_ " I mentally shrieked. It was then that I spotted some empty milk containers. An idea came to me. A crazy, stupid, and utterly reckless idea, but it was the only one I had. I grabbed a baseball I found up in the loft, and readied myself, aiming for the most precarious milk canister. It made a direct hit, causing the canister to fall, clattering loudly to the ground. The six ponies whirled around at the sound, running towards the cans. I quickly swung to the end rafters, watching them think they had me.

"Found ya!" the cyan pegasus called out, as she leaped behind the stack of cans. I quietly lowered myself to the ground with one of my kunai, watching the ponies become perplexed. When I reached the ground, I opened my mouth. I couldn't resist.

"That trick works every time." I said cockily, watching the six whirl around yet again to see me blitzing off towards the forest. I leaped over the fence again, but this time when I landed, I was jerked back. I turned and saw the orange furred pony holding the end of a rope, smirking. I reacted, once again hoping this would work. She started pulling me towards her, but I closed my eyes, and strained my arms against the loop. I could almost hear the He-Man theme playing out, as the rope broke. The ponies were shocked, as I turned tail, and fled for the forest. I could hear hoofbeats behind me, making me increase my pace. I pushed myself to maximum speed, making a final desperate leap. I sailed through the trees, crashing headfirst into a bush. I got back up, shook myself off, and shot off like a jackrabbit. I didn't stop running until I reached my campsite. After I made sure all my stuff was still there, I walked into my lean to and instantly fell asleep.

 **Author's Note: Another chapter finished. I'm sorry this one took a bit longer to post than the others, but I lost my iPad I was writing on, and I haven't had a lot of time to get to a library to write. The CMC's bunker was one of the more fun things to dream up. I'll reveal its true purpose in a couple of chapters, and I'll let you guys make your guesses as to what it was built for in the comments. Once again big thanks to ultranova1225, Manx1musofsparta, and also to Bladewolf101 for reading and commenting on this story. I'm also working on a new Yu-Gi-Oh story I'm calling The Duelist of Equestria. It was inspired by OmegaDecion's MLP: The Gathering of Magic, which is also a really amazing fanfic, OmegaDecion is truly a talented writer, so please look him up and read his stories. They are AWESOME. This is Imagineer379 signing off.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Greetings, Users! Sorry, I couldn't resist adding in one of my favorite TRON quotes. I apologize for the long wait, please don't kill me for it. My life has been pretty chaotic as of late, leaving me with very little time to write. I'm currently spending basically every free second I have writing the new chapters. Special shout out to Tarnum427 for being the beta reader of this chapter, your feedback really helped improve this chapter. So now, without further ado, I present to you chapter four of Equestria's Human Guardian.**

Chapter 4

 _Location: Dream World._

My dreams started out in darkness. I was floating in a dark void, full of swirling shadows. Suddenly, the shadows attacked me, forcing themselves into my body. They filled me with pain, excruciating pain, uncontrollable pain, the pain of ultimate suffering. I opened my mouth to scream, but my screams were silenced by the darkness. I felt cold. Terror flooded my thoughts. I wanted to die. I heard a cold, cruel, unforgiving laugh in the distance. It seemed to take delight in torturing me.

" _It's time to tie up some loose ends_." The voice said, still laughing. The voice was sinister, malicious, dreadful, chaotic, fear inspiring, and overflowing with darkness. I cried out in my thoughts for help, for something to save me from this, I felt myself slipping away, when another voice sounded out, a rich, deep voice, overflowing with hope, love, courage, kindness, grace, order, and light.

"THAT'S ENOUGH." The voice thundered.

The darkness fled from me, replaced by light. Light flooded the space, emanating from two gigantic, white, glowing circles. That's when I realized they were EYES. The eyes of a being with power, power enough to chase the darkness away. The eyes focused themselves on me. I gulped, but when I looked into them,I was filled me with peace, and clarity. I felt the pain leaving me, replaced with comfort and warmth. This wasn't a malicious being with cruel intentions, this was someone who cared, who loved, who generated light on a scale hitherto undreamt of.

"I will show you your destiny." The voice said. My feet suddenly touched solid ground. I stood on a grassy platform, floating in the middle of the darkness. The eyes glanced to the side, and I saw a gigantic version of my pendant, but it was different.

The sapphire portion was an undulating ocean, forming massive whirlpools, and waves that crashed against the former onyx lines. The onyx lines had become titanic mountains made of every form of rock, crystal, and metal, separating the sections. The white crystal had become a windstorm of epic proportions, tornadoes, dust devils, hurricanes, and other storms swirling in the mass, lightning blasting from several locations. The red had become a truly terrifying firestorm, the largest I had ever seen, made up of every color of flame you can imagine, with lava and solar flares bursting from it in massive flashes and arcs. Everything was so chaotic, so terrifyingly beautiful.

Then, there was the sword in the center. It was the only place on in the pendant that was calm and serene. The blade was still in its scabbard, but the gemstones in the hilt now had a symbol carved into each one; the black crystals had a mountain carved into the top. The sapphires had a drop of water etched into them. The white crystals had a swirl carved in, and the rubies had a flame chiseled in.

The giant pendant stood in front of a world, as darkness hit it, but was annihilated the second it came into contact with the pendant. No matter where the darkness hit, the pendant appeared there, and destroyed it.

"You are a Guardian of light." The voice said. I turned towards the eyes, looking into them.

"I must take my leave. Farewell, young guardian." The voice proclaimed, as everything faded into nothingness.

 _Exit Dream World._

 **Play song: Redwall opening theme**

Note: I made up the lyrics

( **Short instrumental opening** )

( **If darkness should ever arise** )

Raxtus stands on the edge of a cliff, sword in hand

( **The light will grow to match its might)**

He leaps off the cliff, shooting towards the ground head first

( **Guardians will fight for the light** )

Raxtus joins the Mane 6, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor as they fight against a massive giant hidden by shadows

( **Protecting everything in sight** )

The dark giant stretches out a hand, sending bolts of shadow hurtling towards the eleven beings

( **Instrumental solo** )

The shadows transform into Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, and a horde of demons. The eleven battle against the monsters, but are losing. Sombra is about to kill Raxtus, when Discord looks ashamed, and slams into Sombra.

( **No darkness can defeat the light** )

A massive golem made of rock, metal, and crystal, a gigantic serpentine leviathan, a humanoid made of whirling winds, and a titanic Phoenix appear, and defeat the horde

An alicorn with mint green robes appears, a staff in hand, as he sends the remaining three villains into a massive void.

( **For the light is greater than all of evil's might** )

Raxtus envelops himself in a golden flash of light

When it the flash ends, Raxtus is covered in a gleaming suit of gold and white armor

Raxtus raises his sword, and tendrils of light shoot out, forming the words

'Equestria's Human Guardian' with Raxtus' pendant behind it. The screen goes black behind the title, before the title fades away.

P.O.V: Raxtus

I opened my eyes, blinking the sleep from them. I sat up, rubbing the back of my head. That was a really weird dream, weirder than any other I've ever had before. What did the voice mean by naming me a guardian of light? I wasn't a guardian, I was a really buff orphan with no family, and a masters in engineering. I was no guardian.

I pushed aside those thoughts, and checked my duct tape bandages. When I took off one of them, they were all completely healed, only leaving a few scars. I was flabbergasted, to say the least. To my knowledge, wounds like these don't heal overnight. It defied all reason. Then again, I was currently sitting on another world populated by anthropomorphic ponies and dragons. The rules could be different here than on Earth.

I stood up, looking at the horizon. The sun hadn't come up yet. I checked my watch.

"2:30. Right on schedule." I muttered, standing up. Time to train. First up; push-ups. I got into a handstand. Lifting my right arm, I started off with my first set. The push-up portion of my daily training consists of one hundred one armed handstand push-ups, for both arms. My grandpa usually strapped a vest with iron sewed into it onto me, but I forgot to make one out of duct tape and rocks during yesterday's preparations. Then, I do clapping handstand push-ups, two hundred of them.

Sit-ups are next. Three hundred hanging sit-ups. After that, I have my squats, four hundred. After squats, I plank for twenty minutes, and go for a three mile run to watch the sunrise.

If you've done the math, that's three and a half hours to get the first half done. The time limit also helps me work on my memory and agility. It's also the time limit my grandpa always set. The sunrise was breathtaking, watching it come up over the horizon. For a moment, just for the briefest of moments, I felt like I was back home.

I returned to the campsite to finish up with my morning workout, finishing with battling against imaginary opponents with my weapons, and practicing my martial arts forms. Afterwords, I started cooking breakfast. Fortunately, manticore meat doesn't decay quickly. After a few minutes, I pulled the meat from the fire. It wasn't the best tasting thing in the world, but it was pretty tender and very filling.

After that quick breakfast, I decided to sit back and relax for a bit. I opened up my backpack, and started reading Ready Player One. The morning was going well, and I got halfway through the book, before deciding to get some water from the creek.

I had returned to camp, after a very satisfying drink, when an earth shattering roar pierced the quiet and tranquility. I jumped about twelve feet in the air, before climbing up a tree to see what the hell was happening. I looked out towards the town, and saw a massive rocky, draconic creature attacking it.

My eyes jumped out of their sockets. There were various screams from ponies, which made my heart crack. I don't care what they did to me. No matter what, I was going to do what I did best; fight. If I was to be a guardian, I should start somewhere. I grabbed my sword, strapped my tonfa to my belt, snatched my dagger and bo staff, and sprinted toward the town.

Earlier that day in Ponyville…

Spike woke up with a start. He was lying in a hospital bed, covered in several bandages. Spike was wondering how he got here, when he heard somepony sobbing quietly in the corner. Spike sat up, and saw Twilight Sparkle, her head in her hands, bawling her eyes out. Spike cleared his throat, making the purple unicorn's head shoot up to meet his eyes.

"Why the long face?" Spike said weakly, with a smile. Twilight gave a shout of pure joy, and embraced the purple dragon. Spike reciprocated, holding her for a few minutes. Twilight released her hold on him, only for a hysterical Rarity to replace her. She too was shedding great tears of joy. Spike endured hugs from his friends, with tears of joy at his being alright.

After all the years, Twilight walked back up to him, and slapped him. Spike looked at Twilight's furious face, terrified.

"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!" Twilight roared. Spike wilted into the bed, as the other ponies behind the enraged unicorn gasped at her use of language.

"LEAVING THE HOSPITAL WHILE WEAKENED, AND GOING INTO THE WOODS AT NIGHTTIME?!" Twilight continued ranting. Spike tried to hide in the blankets, but they were yanked back by a lavender aura, exposing the adolescent dragon to Twilight's wrath.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU! WHAT THE BUCK POSSESSED YOU TO DO THAT?! DID YOUR RATIONALITY DECIDE TO TAKE A VACATION?!" Twilight screamed, which made Applejack cover the CMC's ears. Spike bristled at this last remark. His rationality said he should go out.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE BETTER THAN THIS, BUT CLEARLY I WAS WRONG!" Spike felt shame blossom at those words.

"YOU COULD'VE DIED SPIKE!" Twilight finished, her lip trembling. Spike could see tears beginning to gather in Twilight's eyes, and felt his own tear ducts acting up as well. Twilight was about to continue, when Rainbow Dash covered her mouth.

"I think he gets the point, Twi." Rainbow said calmly, nodding to Spike. Twilight calmed down at the sight of her number one assistant crying, his expression betraying deep shame and remorse.

Twilight felt shame at losing control like this. She was angry, sure, but she felt she should've been able to control it. Twilight hugged Spike gently, brushing away his tears.

"I don't want to lose you." Twilight said. Spike nodded, as Pinkie Pie teared up.

"Awww, that's sweet." The pink party pony said, sniffling.

"What I want to know is why Spike went into the woods in the first place?" Applejack said, stepping up. The others gave their words of assent, looking at Spike expectantly. Spike sighed, and began his tale. He explained how he had gone out in search of Raxtus, and had almost found him, but was attacked by the Timberwolves. This got a great gasp from the assembled ponies, especially Twilight, who looked ready to murder every last timberwolf in the Everfree Forest. Spike then explained how Raxtus had come to his rescue yet again, fighting off the pack of twenty plus predators. Spike finished with passing out, and waking up at the hospital.

This story left the ponies in various states of shock and awe. Not even Big Mac could do what Raxtus had done. Once again, Spike could see some shame on the faces of the Mane 6.

"What did you do to Raxtus this time?" Spike sighed.

"I found him in my boutique, talking to Sweetiebelle." Rarity said.

"Once he saw me, he jumped out the window, breaking it, and then running away to the woods." Rarity explained. Spike stared, half surprised. Raxtus probably felt that he was in danger, and did the natural thing.

Rainbow explained how she had tried to stop Raxtus, and the others told how he hid from them in the barn, escaped, and then broke Applejack's lasso. Applejack was still a bit sore on that subject. Spike looked at the Mane 6, eyes narrowed.

He was about to speak, when a loud trumpet was heard. Everpony looked out Spike's window, and saw a familiar wagon driving up.

"Again?" Twilight said incredulously.

"She's back?" Rarity exclaimed.

"After what happened last time?" Applejack said, wide eyed.

"Waityoucan'tmeanits-" Pinkie started, but was interrupted by Fluttershy.

"I-I-it's Trixie." She said nervously. The CMC looked flabbergasted. Trixie was back?

"Well, what are we waiting for, let's go see what she wants!" Rainbow said, zipping out the door. The others followed, Twilight instructing the CMC to stay with Spike to make sure he stayed in bed.

Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo pouted, but they stayed behind after Twilight gave them her version of Fluttershy's stare.

Twilight and the others caught up to Rainbow Dash, only to find her glaring at the unicorn on the cart stage.

Trixie was once again dressed in her star patterned cloak and pointed wizard hat, but on this occasion, she was wearing robes that looked like the ones worn by Star Swirled the Bearded. They looked pretty cool, and actually went well with her sky blue fur.

Trixie smiled at the sight of the rest of the Mane 6 filing in.

"Excellent! Now Trixie can begin!" She proclaimed to the assembled ponies.

"What is it you want, Trixie?" Twilight sighed. Trixie looked at the purple furred unicorn.

"Trixie wishes to... apologize to everypony." Trixie said, stepping off her stage.

"Huh?" Was the general reaction.

"Trixie is... sorry for what she did last time." The blue furred unicorn said, shamefaced. She walked to the Mane 6 hesitantly.

"Trixie acknowledges that she was inexperienced, boastful, and rude." Trixie said. Twilight was flabbergasted. Was this the same egotistical unicorn that came to Ponyville a few months ago?

"Trixie offers her deepest apologies, and wishes for you to accept it." Trixie finished, bowing her head. Twilight looked at her friends, who looked back. They were all thinking the same thing. Twilight gently pulled the showy unicorn's head up. Trixie saw to her amazement that Twilight was smiling.

"We accept your apology, Trixie." Twilight said. Tears flowed freely down Trixie's face. She smiled, and wiped them away.

"Thank you." Trixie said, smiling broadly. Twilight hugged Trixie. Trixie broke the embrace.

"Trixie did wish to show you all something, to prove Trixie's advancements in magical prowess." The blue furred unicorn's horn glowed, and two objects floated out that made the assembled ponies gasp.

"I-is that a Rockolith scale and claw?" Twilight asked, awe entering her voice. Trixie smiled.

"Trixie has been practicing spells, and trying to be a better magic user." Trixie said proudly.

"Trixie used her new skills to stop a rockolith from ravaging her cart, and took the scale and claw from Trixie's defeated enemy!" Trixie explained excitedly.

"By stop, you mean…" Rainbow asked hesitantly. Trixie modded, her expression becoming grim.

"Yes, Trixie had to… kill the beast, to save her cart and life." Trixie stated. The ponies gasped. Rockoliths were notorious for being incredibly hard to kill. The beasts stood around thirty feet tall, had grayish-rock like scales and skin, and looked like dragons. The differences between the two species being the fact that rockoliths dwelled in cave systems, came to the surface to hunt, couldn't speak, had wider forepaws and sharper claws, typically used for digging, but could be employed to neatly kill small prey, and were bitter enemies of dragons. Rockoliths also stood on their hind legs, hunching over to help balance out their large tails, and jagged back spikes.

"Well Trixie, your spellcasting has improved a lot." Twilight said appreciatively.

"Trixie also wishes to be your apprentice, to better her understanding of magic." Trixie said hesitantly. Twilight was shocked. She never had an apprentice before. Twilight shook herself from her thoughts, and looked into Trixie's eyes.

"I'll have to think about it." She said. Trixie's expression fell.

"But, I'll be happy to call you a friend." Twilight finished. Trixie had absolute joy etched into her face.

"Really?" She whispered, not believing her luck.

"Yes, Trixie." The purple unicorn reaffirmed. Trixie was about to say something, when an ear splitting roar cut through the air. The assembled ponies stared at the woods, terrified. A massive rockolith suddenly burst out of the ground in front of the ponies.

"Impossible." Trixie whispered. "Trixie killed you!"

Twilight zeroed in on the missing claw on the megalith monster's hind foot.

The monster suddenly spotted Trixie and charged her. The ponies scattered, screaming as Rainbow Dash pulled the petrified unicorn away from the creature. The rockolith let out a roar of disapproval.

Trixie looked up at her cyan furred rescuer.

"Why did you save Trixie?" She asked confused. Rainbow set Trixie down at Twilight's Library.

"Any friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine." Rainbow said determination present in her demeanor. The two stared at the rockolith, watching as a massive beam of violet energy struck it, followed by a blue one. Rainbow looked back at the titanic beast.

"I have to go help my friends, Trixie." Rainbow said, as she took off. Trixie watched the cyan furred pegasus zip off towards the rockolith. She felt tears come to her eyes, and leaned back against the tree roots, sobbing. Why couldn't she do anything right? Why couldn't this have gone smoothly? Trixie felt like a failure. It seemed like no matter where she went, mayhem and destruction followed. Trixie remembered her first time in Ponyville, how she had humiliated the Mane 6, and then herself. Trixie remembered the hatred she felt, the desire to get even with the Mane 6. That desire would've consumed her, had it not been for an old pony she met. Trixie allowed herself to get wrapped up in the memory.

 **Flashback… WARNING: contains rape scene**

Trixie was starving. She was out of bits, and was cowering at the sight of the five stallions that had cornered her.

"Looks like we got ourselves a new toy tonight, boys." the middle one said drunkenly. Trixie could smell the alcohol on the stallions. The stench brutally invaded her nostrils. It was like the stallions bathed in the stuff before coming out. The third stallion guffawed.

"Sure do, Spar." he said, hiccuping slightly. "We'll have a lot of fun with this one, right boys?" the other three gave their drunken consent, and began to converge on the unicorn. Trixie tried to summon her magic, but the last few days without food had taken their toll on her. Trixie couldn't even make a feather levitate. The first stallion that had spoken suddenly shot forward, grabbing on to her arms. Trixie struggled, vainly trying to free her arms, but the stallion held her tightly. Two other stallions grabbed her legs and covered her mouth, as the last two produced two switchblades.

The two with switchblades then cut off Trixie's clothing, letting it fall to the floor, as they examined the unicorn mare. They threw Trixie to the ground, and started getting undressed themselves. Trixie opened her mouth to scream for help, but it was stuffed with a massive cock from the stallion who held her in place. Trixie gagged at the sudden intrusion, the stallion grabbing her head, and forcing his monster prostrate all the way down Trixie's throat. Trixie whimpered as she felt two more intrusions from behind, as two more stallions forced themselves into her pussy and ass.

"Sweet Equis above, this bitch is tight!" one of them exclaimed, slapping her butt. Trixie uncontrollably moaned at the sudden action. She felt her chest being groped, and saw the two other stallions roughly kneading her massive DD orbs. Trixie moaned even further, as the two in the back began to speed up. The stallion fucking her throat did the same, moaning in ecstasy.

"That's right bitch, moan for us." He said, thrusting himself deeper inside of Trixie. A few minutes later, they grunted, and Trixie was filled with their seed. Her stomach bulged from the immense quantity that was shot in her. Trixie drank down the rest of the cum spraying into her mouth, as the stallions pulled out of her. Trixie gasped for air, letting the blessed gas flow into her lungs. Trixie then saw that the stallions were still hard, staring at her hungrily.

"We're not done yet bitch." the lead stallion said, aiming his massive cock at her pussy. Trixie tried to protest, but they were once again muffled by not one, but two more long, thick dicks. Trixie felt them pushing down into her, each one taking turns with her throat. Trixie then felt two more entries, one in ehr ass, the other in her already stuffed pussy.

Trixie screamed at all the sudden intrusions, the pain making her black out. Trixie still felt them having their way with her, even in an unconscious state. Then, it stopped. Trixie heard scuffling, and her body being lifted by gentle hands.

 **Rape Scene end**

Trixie finally woke up, in a soft bed. Confused, the unicorn sat up, viewing her surroundings, before dropping back to the bed in pain. She was inside a small one room shack. Her nether regions burned, her throat felt like it had swallowed broken glass. Trixie felt like her stomach was three sizes too big, even though her midsection was back to its original size.

"I was wondering when you would awake." an old voice said. It was rich and harmonious, but ancient and full of secrets. Trixie turned, and saw an old stallion tending a pot that hung over a roaring fire. The stallion had mint green fur, a forest green mane and tail, and wore old, patched up clothing. He grabbed a bowl, filled it with something from the pot, and walked over to Trixie. Trixie shied away from the stallion, terrified at what he would do to her. The stallion smiled warmly.

"Here, this will help with the pain." he said calmly, handing Trixie the bowl. Trixie stared at the stew in front of her. The broth was orange in color and had a myriad of vegetables floating in it. Trixie began gobbling up the meal, not stopping until every last drop of the stew was gone. She licked her lips appreciatively, savoring the feeling of a full stomach. The old stallion was right, the pain she felt in her throat and nether regions was subsiding. Trixie turned and saw the old stallion take her empty bowl away. He turned, grabbed a small kettle, and hung it over the fire. He then walked back over to the bedridden mare.

Trixie didn't jerk away from him this time. The old stallion reached under the blankets, and gently pressed his hand against her stomach.

"Well, my medicine seems to be working its magic." he said, turning back to the now whistling kettle. He fiddled with it for a few moments, and returned to Trixie's bedside with a warm cup of tea.

"Drink up. This will heal your throat, and allow you to speak after what happened to you." He said gently. Trixie hesitantly accepted the cup, and took a tentative sip. Instantly, Trixie's taste buds sang out in ecstasy. The tea wasn't thin like she expected, instead of being thin and having an herbal flavor, it was thick, and tasted like chocolate, mint, raspberries, oranges, and a vast selection of soothing herbs and spices. Trixie drank the rest of the tea, letting her taste buds revel in the flavors.

Trixie finished with a small belch. She felt rejuvenated and whole, a feeling she hadn't felt in years.

"Thank you." Trixie said graciously, as the kind stallion whisked her cup away.

"You're welcome, my dear." The stallion replied. Trixie felt herself relax at the stallion's words. It wasn't so much what he said, but the way he said it. His voice was so trusting, so old, so full of wisdom. It made Trixie want to listen to anything the stallion had to say, and follow it.

"So, you ran away after being humiliated." the stallion said. Trixie instantly went on the defensive. The stallion chuckled at her expression.

"When you've lived as long as I have, you tend to be able to read ponies like a book." He said in response. The stallion walked over to Trixie, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Now, tell me, why were you humiliated?" He asked. Trixie felt her lower lip tremble, as the story poured out. She had finished ranting about revenge, when she looked back at the old stallion. He was looking at her, sadness etched into every wrinkle on his wizened face.

"It doesn't sound like they were the ones who did that to you." He said calmly.

"Yes, they did!" Trixie protested. The old stallion held his hand up, silencing Trixie.

"You were the one who strolled into their town, boasted about your skills, and then humiliated those 5." He stared calmly. The words hit Trixie like a bag of bricks.

"What really happened, from what I've gathered, is that you couldn't handle the challenge you spoke of, and in trying to prove you could, you were the one who humiliated yourself." The stallion said bluntly. Trixie felt tears come to her eyes. Try as she might, Trixie could no longer deny the truth, not when this old stallion could see it plainly. The blue furred unicorn finally let the tears flow, letting all the pent up rage and anger turn into sadness and shame. Trixie felt her self pressing into another body, one that was strong, and comforting, like a father. She felt strong arms encircle her, pulling her into somepony's lap, and rocking her gently, like one would do to a small, frightened foal. Trixie opened her eyes, and saw the old stallion doing just that, holding her close like her father used to do, until… the accident. Simply the thought of this brought a new flood of tears, as she remembered her father. The old stallion simply held her close, until Trixie's sobs subsided.

He gently wiped away the tears, and smiled at her.

"You're simply misguided." he said gently. "I'll bet if you went back and sincerely apologized, that they would forgive you." The old stallion said. Trixie sniffed, staring into the stallion's eyes. They held nothing but truth, trust, and something Trixie hadn't seen in a long time; love.

"You really think so?" Trixie asked hesitantly. The stallion smiled warmly.

"I know so. Twilight Sparkle and her friends are the Bearers of Harmony, which are the elements of true friendship. They wouldn't hold a grudge against anypony if they truly felt remorseful of their actions."

Trixie didn't have Applejack's lie detector ability, but even she could hear and believe the truth in the aged stallion's words.

"And, a bit of magic practice wouldn't hurt." the stallion said, his eyes twinkling, as he stood up.

"What do you mean?" Trixie asked hesitantly watching the arcane stallion sift through a crate.

"Well, if you're better at magic, instead of boasting about false accomplishments, you'll be able to actually prove what you did." The stallion explained, dusting off an arcane tome.

"This tome used to belong to a dear friend of mine. It contains step by step incantations, illustrations of the steps, descriptions of spell usage, and a myriad of other things." he said, handing the thick book to Trixie. The book was made of ancient parchment, the pages a bit yellowed. The cover was made of thick, strong leather, reinforced by a silvery metal, with beautiful swirls, and runic designs on the covers and spine. Trixie held it reverently, staring at it in disbelief. She looked back up at the aged stallion who had been so kind to her.

"Why are you giving me this? Why are you being so kind to a stranger?" Trixie asked. The stallion smiled at her, sitting down.

"I've lived a long life, and seen many, many things, but they all stem from Light and Darkness. I devoted my life to fighting that darkness, by creating light." the old stallion said. He began to change before Trixie's eyes, growing taller, and stronger. His patched, old clothing transformed into elegant robes of every shade, hue, and tint of green. His body changed as well, becoming younger, and stronger. Trixie could see rippling slabs of muscle, even through his thick robes. A staff appeared in the stallion's hand, topped with a green crystal with clock faces carved into every surface on the crystal. The wrinkles on his face simply fell away, but a few still remained. Wings appeared on his back, and a green horn materialized on his forehead. When the transformation was done, the stallion looked like Equestria's biggest, buffest, kindest alicorn grandfather. He placed a hand on Trixie's shoulder. He still looked old, but he now matched the strength his words and voice now carried.

"There are many ways to fight the darkness, and creating light is one of them. I create light through service, and kind actions, even if they're small, they still create light. And light is precious, in a world so full of darkness." The stallion said, as the shack began to disappear into a blinding whiteness. The stallion was walking away, but Trixie had more questions.

"Wait!" she cried out. The stallion stopped and turned around. "Who are you?" she asked in awe. The alicorn smiled warmly.

"My name is Counter Clock. Remember Trixie, in the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of true strength. Follow your heart, you have a good one." The alicorn said, as he vanished into the whiteness.

Trixie's eyes suddenly shot open. She was still in the alley where the stallions raped her, but her clothes had been mended, her stomach was full of the meal she had, and she was holding onto the tome that Counter Clock had given her. His last words echoed in her mind.

'In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of true strength. Follow your heart, you have a good one.'

End Flashback…

Trixie had tears in her eyes, as she remembered Counter Clock's kind words and actions. Trixie pulled the old book out from her costume, staring at the cover. She had practiced and perfected the spells from it, and took on the rockolith, no problem. She thought she had killed it. Trixie looked at the spell in the book again, and then she realized her mistake. She had simply put it to sleep, instead of killing it. Trixie stood back up, her horn igniting. This was her mess she had to clean up. Without another word, Trixie charged towards the rockolith, determined to stop it.

Rainbow was exhausted. The rockolith wasn't as slow, or as stupid as she had originally thought. It was anticipating her moves, forcing the rainbow maned pegasus to perform tight, dizzying maneuvers that were pushing her to her aerobatic limits. Twilight and Rarity's spells weren't doing anything, except annoying the stone behemoth. The rockolith continued its rampage, the efforts of the three ponies being only meager distractions.

Rainbow charged at its face again, but the rockolith slammed its hand into her side, hard. Rainbow felt the right side of her body explode in fiery pain, followed by several sharp snaps. The talented aviator fell towards the ground, screaming in pain.

"Rainbow!" Rarity cried, trying to muster the magic to create a cushion, but it was no use. Both unicorns were exhausted beyond belief, barely able to perform any spells at all. Twilight and Rarity watched in horror as their friend hurtled towards the ground.

"NO!" cried a voice, as a pink beam of magic caught the cyan furred pegasus, gently setting her down away from the rockolith. A second beam slammed into the monster's face, making it stumble backwards. Rarity looked around for the source of the beam, and saw a familiar blue unicorn glaring at the rockolith.

"Nopony hurts Trixie's friends, without paying for it!" Trixie roared, sending seven magic orbs at the rockolith. They collided with the rock-like growths on its hide, exploding in dazzling flashes of light. The rockolith roared, enraged. Trixie stood her ground, sending a rapid fire torrent of pink magic lasers. ( **Author's Note: For reference, look up a video of Master Roshi battling an alternate dimension Frieza** ) The rockolith raised its arms up to block the barrage, but the force toppled it, making it fall over onto its back. It roared in pain, enraged that it was toppled by such a tiny creature it could crush with its big toe.

Trixie ran over to Rainbow, her horn still glowing. Rainbow Dash was in a terrible state. She lay on her side in fetal position, moaning in pain, as tears cascaded down her face. Her left wing, arm and hoof were bent at unnatural angles, her wing even had a bone poking through the skin.

"Rainbow, this is going to hurt, but you have to trust Trixie." She said. Rainbow simply nodded, the only action she was capable of at the moment. Trixie took off her cape, and levitated a few broken pieces of rebar from one of the broken buildings.

Trixie ripped off parts of her cape, and placed her hands on Rainbow's wing. The blue unicorn then pushed, eliciting screams, shouts, and death threats from the rainbow maned Pegasus. Trixie had pushed the bone back in, and was currently securing it, when a massive shadow came over the two. Trixie looked up and saw the rockolith's hands shooting towards her. She conjured up a shield at the last second, making the hands bounce off. Trixie winced, as she felt her magic straining to keep the shield up. The rockolith slammed down on the shield several more times, still not breaking it. Sweat dripped down Trixie's face, the force of the blows nearly making her black out. The rockolith then turned, and slammed its tail on the shield, finally making it break. Trixie was sent flying, completely knocked out.

Twilight ran over to try and help the blue furred unicorn, but was slapped away by a scaly, rocky tail. Twilight felt her ribs break from the force, even more so as she flew into a pile of rubble. Twilight watched, helpless, as the monster raised its foot to end her new friend.

"Hey, leave them alone!" A male voice roared. Twilight saw a long, thin object fly up, and stab into the rockolith's right eye. The monster roared in pain, jerking its head back. A second object stabbed into its neck, embedding itself deeply, as a figure flew up, slamming into the rockolith's face. The rockolith staggered backward, thrashing as the figure held on to its face. The figure swung over to the left side of the rockolith's face, stabbing at its eye. The left eye erupted in a waterfall of blood, as the rockolith cried out in pain, slamming its hands at its face, scrabbling to get a hold on the figure. The figure was too quick, and leaped towards the ground, pulling the weapons embedded in the rockolith free.

It landed on the ground, running over to Rainbow. Twilight saw who it was, and tears came to her eyes. Raxtus had come, even after everything that happened, he still came to defend the ponies against the rockolith. Raxtus finished stabilizing Rainbow, and then ran over to Twilight.

Raxtus was all business, never speaking as he worked, pushing up Twilight's shirt and vest, skillfully creating a brace for her broken ribs. Despite the pain, Twilight shivered at Raxtus' touch. Heat season was in four days, and Twilight's was beginning to kick in a little early.

Every morning now, the purple furred unicorn would wake up to sheets soaked in her juices, having been consumed by dreams of stallions bucking her into oblivion.

Twilight could see the muscles that ripples beneath Raxtus' poorly stitched clothing. She imagined him picking her up, and ramming himself into her, pleasuring her until she was a drooling mess.

"Does it hurt anymore?" Raxtus' voice cut through Twilight's train of thought. She looked into his silver eyes, eyes full of concern. Twilight could still feel pain in her ribs, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before.

"Yes, but it's not as bad." Twilight said softly. Raxtus looked around, looking for something.

"You should be able to walk now, just don't put too much stress on the brace, okay?" Raxtus said, helping Twilight to her hooves. Twilight nodded, unable to form coherent sentences, her mind filled with dirty images of her and Raxtus bucking 'til dawn.

"Get to safety." Raxtus commanded, staring back at the rockolith, which was now getting back up. Twilight instantly knew what he was thinking.

"You can't fight that!" She protested "You'll die!" Raxtus sighed at Twilight's remark.

"I have to, no one else here has the ability to end that." Raxtus said grimly.

He ran and picked up Trixie, before running to the town.

"Get to safety, I'll be right back!" Raxtus called out. Twilight stared at his receding back. She shakily walked over to Rainbow, who was being supported by Rarity. Twilight hooked her arms underneath Rainbow's legs, and lifted her up, prompting Rarity to shift her hold, and grasp Twilight's hands, forming the Friendship Carry. The two unicorns moved towards the hospital as quickly as they could, just as the now blind rockolith stumbled to its feet. It let out a roar of rage, pain, and anger, and began to stomp blindly towards the rest of the town. Twilight was terrified. Even blind, rockoliths were still dangerous, and could still perceive objects really well, thanks to their acute senses of smell and hearing. Twilight prayed that Raxtus would be alright.

P.O.V shift: Raxtus

I set the blue furred unicorn down in one of the chairs of the hospital's waiting room, just as one of the doctors came out. He stared at me, jaw open. I picked the unicorn back up, and raced over to him.

"She has a major concussion, and I'm pretty sure some of her bones are dislocated." I explained. The doctor's face suddenly turned serious.

"Set her in the room on the right, number 14, and I'll attend to her." The doctor said, as I raced off. I left the unicorn on the hospital bed, after making sure she was comfortable, and sprinted out to face the rocky behemoth.

 **Cue theme music: "Resistance" by Skillet**

The monster was back on its feet, and I was satisfied to see that I was successful in blinding it. The monster stopped, sniffed, and roared as it caught my scent.

"Bring it on, stonehead!" I roared, charging the monster once again. It swung its left arm down, slamming against the ground. I sprang to the side, stabbing my left Kunai into its hand. The monster roared, pulling its hand back, and unraveling one of my chains.

'Phase one complete, on to phase two.' I thought, sliding under the monster's sweeping tail. My chains can reach a maximum of a hundred feet, so I was pretty safe on chain length. I leaped up, stabbing my right Kunai into the back of the monster's right knee, eliciting more roars of pain. It tried to grab me, but I deftly flipped over the creature's enormous right hand, sprinting around the monster's left leg, wrapping my right chain around its left ankle.

I jumped forward, letting my chains reach their maximum length. I pulled on my left chain with every ounce of my strength, pulling the monster's left arm towards me. It roared in outrage, as I sprinted underneath its legs, wrapping both my chains around its tail, and using my right chain to pull myself out from underneath the monster, forcing it to spin around, becoming more and more entangled in my trap. I pulled as hard as I could, my trap activating. The monster's left arm strained to pull itself up (I was praying the barbs on my Kunai would hold it in place), yanking its tail forward, which in turn pulled its right leg out, throwing it off balance. I slipped out of my jacket, as the monster topped onto its back, roaring and straining against its bonds, its right arm trapped underneath it.

I smiled in satisfaction, and whipped out my dagger to finish it off. I climbed up the monster, stabbing my dagger into its exposed underbelly. The monster roared, straining further as I continued to stab it, severing arteries, as shown by the spurts of blood. The monster roared in outrage, as my left Kunai finally came loose, the recoil unit finally doing its thing, undoing all my hard work.

The monster's claw stabbed downwards into my midsection, the end coming out of my stomach, narrowly missing my reproductive anatomy. I roared in pain, almost blacking out from it. I slammed my dagger into the monster's hand, making it lift me up, still attached to its claw. The monster flung me off its claw, sending me flying into the buildings. I felt my bones shatter, as I became a living cannonball. The pain became too much for my mind to process, and I blacked out.

P.O.V shift: third person

Twilight stared in shock as Raxtus battled the rockolith. After she and Rarity got Rainbow to the hospital, Doctor Whooves cast a spell on Twilight, which was basically a magic cast that held the broken parts of her ribs together, so they could heal faster. Twilight ran back out to find Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack watching the battle from a safe distance.

"Is he crazy?!" Applejack exclaimed, watching Raxtus charge the rockolith.

"I think he knows what he's doing, AJ." Rarity said, never taking her eyes off of the nimble figure. They watched as Raxtus was doing seemingly nothing to stop the rockolith, rather than be a distraction, until the rockolith fell. Twilight's eyes widened as she finally made sense of Raxtus' jumping and running.

"He was creating a snare!" The purple furred unicorn exclaimed excitedly. Then, Fluttershy let out a cry.

"No!" The others watched, horrified as the rockolith impaled Raxtus and tossed him into the nearby structures, watching helplessly as they collapsed on him. The rockolith roared in triumph, and began moving back towards the buildings, determined to crush them.

"It's up to us, girls." Twilight said shakily. The other four looked at the bearer of magic like she had transformed into a Diamond Dog.

"Against that thing?" Rarity said incredulously.

"We won't even make a dent in that thing!" Applejack protested.

"My Pinkie Sense is telling me the same thing Twi!" Pinkie stated, her mane waving crazily of its own accord.

"And, rockoliths are immune to my Stare." Fluttershy added uncomfortably. Twilight looked at her friends, her confidence sinking. They were right. It would take an army of ponies to defeat a rockolith.

A purple and green blur suddenly shot between the five mares. Twilight saw, to her horror, that Spike had once again escaped from the hospital, and had enlisted the help of a teenage pegasus colt, with ocean blue fur and a red mane with white stripes, to help him fight the rockolith.

"Spike, stop!" Twilight cried. Spike paid no heed to her words, as he roared at the rockolith. The rockolith recognized it instantly as the roar of its species greatest enemy; a dragon.

"Drop me now!" Spike said. The pegasus complied, dropping Spike on the rockolith's head. Spike began clawing and biting at it, ignoring the pain in his body. The pegasus slammed his back legs into the rockolith's nose, then darting away before the rockolith could catch him. The duo continued their onslaught, until the rockolith slammed its hands on Spike, ignoring the Pegasus colt. Spike felt his bones snap, making him roar in pain. The teenage dragon lost his grip, falling to the ground.

"Spike!" The pegasus cried, shooting towards his falling friend. The rockolith backhanded both, slamming them into the ground. Twilight sprinted to her fallen friend, fearing the worst. She reached the two, as the rockolith let out a roar of triumph, and raised its foot to crush the group. Twilight felt the shadow fall over them, knowing this would be her last breath.

"Oh no you don't!" Roared a familiar voice. Something crashed against the rockolith, making it stagger back. Twilight looked and saw a sight that filled her with both relief, and abject terror; a bloody, bruised, and very pissed off Raxtus. Blood cascaded from the new impromptu chest piercing he gained. Part of his chest had collapsed inward, making him look lopsided. His expression was so fierce, it would've made Nightmare Moon run back to the moon.

"Alright, no more games." Raxtus snarled, pulling a massive sword out of its scabbard. Twilight gasped at the blade. It was taller than Raxtus, and looked impossible to even carry, but Raxtus held it, and got into a fighting stance. The rockolith roared at him, outraged its aggressor wasn't dead.

"It's time to go all out!" Raxtus roared.

 **Play theme: "Unstoppable" by The Score**

Raxtus let loose a bone chilling war cry, and charged the rockolith, his massive sword trailing behind him. The rockolith charged at him as well. Raxtus suddenly whirled around, slicing his sword through the rockolith's left ankle, nearly severing it. The rockolith cried out in pain, as Raxtus did the same to its other foot.

The massive monster fell on its back, one of its front claws catching on Raxtus' pants, flinging him upward. Raxtus was launched into the air, his vision consisting of the sky and ground alternating positions. Raxtus flailed his arms, trying to control his flight, as he plunged downwards. He grabbed onto his sword, just as he saw his destination; the rockolith's open mouth.

'Oh shit, I'm gonna die!' Raxtus mentally screamed. Then, an idea came to his mind, a crazy, insane, and completely cracked, but it was the only plan he had. Raxtus pointed his sword in front of him, making himself more aerodynamic.

'God, if you're really there, please make this work.' Was Raxtus' last thought before shooting into the monster's mouth.

Twilight watched, horrified, as Raxtus plunged into the rockolith's mouth. The rockolith's jaws closed, as it flipped itself over with its powerful arms. It suddenly gagged and convulsed, as blood sprayed from a piercing from the underside of its neck. The beast collapsed, it's breath coming in ragged gasps, convulsing and jerking around, before its eyes went glassy, and it lay still.

Twilight stared at the fallen monolith, waiting for some sign of Raxtus. None came. She felt tears come to her eyes, not responding to the hoofsteps behind her.

"Twi! Twi, what happened?" Applejack called, skidding to a stop next to the purple furred unicorn. She gasped at seeing Spike and the pegasus colt's broken bodies shallowly breathing.

"We've got to get these two over to the hospital faster than a cow on a skateboard slidin' down a hill covered in axle grease!" The country mare exclaimed, reaching down to grab Spike.

"Applejack, NO!" Twilight burst out, swatting the orange furred pony's hand away. Applejack glared at Twilight.

"You'll only make their condition worse!" Twilight explained, standing up. "Go bring Doctor Whooves over here instead, he can treat them better than anypony here." Applejack nodded, and sprinted off as fast as she could. Twilight stared at the corpse of the rockolith, letting despair overtake her. She dropped to her knees, and started crying. She never got to apologize to Raxtus, and he went and saved them all, at the cost of his own life. Twilight suddenly felt a comforting hand wrap around her.

"I-it's alright, D-darling." Rarity stuttered before breaking down. Applejack suddenly reappeared with Doctor Whooves, who instantly shot into action. The rest of the Mane 6 walked up, as did most of the town population to stare at the fallen megalith.

"There, stabilized." Doctor Whooves said, standing up. The two were enveloped in an aura from one of the other doctors, and whisked back to the hospital. Twilight turned to leave, when Pinkie Pie stopped her, turning her around. The side of the corpse was moving. Everypony assembled gasped, staggering back. The ponies readied themselves for battle, expecting the rockolith to attack. Instead, a massive sword blade stabbed through the carcass, from the inside. The townsponies assembled stared open mouthed and wide eyed, as Raxtus staggered out of the corpse of the rockolith. He was covered from head to foot in saliva, blood, and a brownish green liquid. He stared at the ponies, breathing hard.

"That… was disgusting, on so many levels." Raxtus finally said, shuddering. He shook his arms, shaking off some of the fluids.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked. The townsponies simply kept staring at him.

"I'll take that as a yes." Raxtus said between breaths. He walked over to where his jacket had fallen, picked it up, dusted it off, and then proceeded to drop to his knees. Doctor Whooves, and the Mane 6 rushed to catch him.

"Oh sure, now my body decides to give out." Raxtus grumbled, his voice slurring slightly.

"Dooon't touch my ssstuffff whiiillle I'm oouuutt." Raxtus said, before he finally passed out. Doctor Whooves looked at Twilight.

"Can you teleport us to the hospital?" He asked urgently, the worry lines on his forehead deepening. Twilight grimaced. Even the smallest bit of magic would be too much of a strain on her body.

"I'll do it, doctor." Rarity said. Twilight looked at her fashionista friend hesitantly.

"Are you sure?" Rarity nodded her head determinedly.

"Yes." Rarity affirmed, as her horn glowed. The eight bodies instantly appeared at the waiting room, where the nurses already had a gurney waiting.

"Get him to room 15, STAT!" Doctor Whooves commanded. The nurses complied, loading Raxtus onto the gurney, and then speeding him off to the room. Doctor Whooves sprinted after them, calling for various materials. The doors slammed shut, cutting off all noise from beyond. Twilight sat down heavily, next to a worried pegasus mare. She had a cherry red mane and tail with white streaks and bright orange fur. She wore a tight teal tank top, which stopped at her midsection, due to how big her chest was, tight red bike shorts, and had a silver and gold ring on her left hand. The mare looked up at Twilight as she sat down.

"Who are you here for?" Twilight asked. The mare sniffled.

"My son. He went out to try and stop the rockolith." the mare replied, a few tears appearing in her eyes. Twilight's eyebrows crept together, as she put two and two together.

"Did he have ocean blue fur, and a mane like yours?" Twilight asked. The mare looked at Twilight astonished.

"YES! How did you know that was my little Aero?" the mare exclaimed, grabbing onto Twilight's shoulders.

"Aero dropped Spike on top of the rockolith, and then distracted it while Spike tried to kill it." Twilight explained. The mare sniffled, as a trembling smile came to her face.

"He always did take after his father." She whispered, before breaking down into a series of uncontrollable sobs. Twilight pulled the mare close, feeling tears drip down her own cheeks.

"I do hope my dear Spikey Wikey is alright." Rarity said, her voice trembling.

The ponies shed tears with each other, and Twilight found out that the pegasus mare was a widow. Her husband was a member of the Canterlot Elite Aerial Rescue Squad, and had died during a rescue. He got the injured ponies out, but at the cost of his own life. The conversations went on for a good hour.

The doors to the rooms burst open, and Doctor Whooves stepped out. His scrubs had a few splotches of blood decorating the front. An ugly navy blue hoof shaped bruise adorned the left side of his face. He looked exhausted, and was smiling weakly. He approached the group of mares. They stared at the doctor expectantly.

"Good news, Spike and Aero are both fine." the mares jumped for joy. Rarity, Twilight, and the orange pegasus mare enveloped Doctor Whooves in a massive group hug, babbling out long sentences of gratitude, tears of joy cascading down their faces.

"What about my sister?" a small voice inquired. Doctor Whooves disentangled himself from the grateful mares, and saw the CMC. Scootaloo was staring at him with concern and hope written all over her face.

"Miss Dash is fine, though a bit cranky that she has to spend the next few months abstaining from any flying, at least until our bone healer recovers from that cold." Doctor Whooves explained, gesturing to the bruise on his face. Scootaloo nodded, understanding.

"What about Raxtus?" Applebloom asked hesitantly. Doctor Whooves looked a bit uneasy. He now had the attention of six mares, and three fillies, which wasn't exactly a good thing, especially when five of the six mares were the Bearers of Harmony, the sixth was a master at aerial combat, the three fillies had puppy dog eyes that would make anypony obey their every command, and all of them could destroy his flank without any trouble.

"I'll have to check back with Doctor Silkhand, she's the one operating on him right now." Doctor Whooves said nervously. Ever hear the phrase 'Speak of the devil and he shall appear'? Well, that's exactly what happened. Doctor Silkhand walked through the doors, ripping off her surgical mask and hairnet, revealing a yellow horn. She had deep yellow fur, a pure white mane, and sea green eyes. She had to wear special scrubs, due to her exceptionally large chest. Doctor Silkhand looked at Doctor Whooves, and nodded at him. Doctor Whooves nodded back grimly, placed his surgical mask back on, and motioned for her to stay with the group of nine.

"How is Raxtus doing?" Sweetiebelle asked warily. Doctor Silkhand sighed.

"He took a lot of punishment from the battle with the rockolith. He has a large number of pieces of broken metal from the rubble embedded in his body, several broken bones, a concussion we don't have a name for, a fractured skull, and is suffering from near fatal blood loss. Not to mention parts of his skin and vital organs were eaten away by the beast's gastric acids, and his impalement from the monster's claw." Doctor Silkhand explained in a grave, and somewhat annoyed voice. The ponies stared at her in shock.

"Will he be okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's hard to tell. We're currently working on removing the metal, which will take quite a bit of time. After that, we'll have to work around the clock regrowing all the missing gaps in his bones. Once that's done we'll have to replace all of his blood in a massive transfusion, and monitor him 24/7 to make sure his body is accepting the new blood. Then he'll be okay, assuming nothing goes horribly wrong." Doctor Silkhand said, knocking on the wooden armrest of one of the chairs.

"Can I see my son, Silky?" Doctor Silkhand turned to look at the pegasus mare.

"Sure thing, Fira. He's in room 16." Silkhand opened the door, allowing the newly christened Fira to walk through.

"Spike and Rainbow Dash are also in the same room, Miss Sparkle. They're all awake, and I do believe they want to see you all." Silkhand said. Twilight and the others shot through the doors, catching up to Fira in a matter of seconds.

"Is your name really Fira?" Scootaloo asked. Fira looked down at the teenage filly.

"No, it's just what everypony calls me. My real name is Firebolt, Firebolt Swiftwing." Fira said. The nine ponies arrived at the door, and stepped inside to find Spike and Aero happily chatting about various comics, while Rainbow read a Daring Doo book. All looked up at the ponies that entered, sheepish and relieved expressions crossing their faces.

Spike had a cast on everywhere except his head and right arm. His face was puffy, and had numerous bandages over the left side of it, but he was still smiling all the same. Aero was a little better. His parts of his wings, his left arm, both legs, and part of his chest were in casts. Rainbow Dash had the entire left side of her body in a body cast, which extended to encompass her torso, neck, and half of her right leg.

Fira burst into tears, and ran over to embrace her son. Aero grunted, and wheezed, but managed to give his worried mother a one armed hug. Spike chuckled, but did the same as Twilight, Rarity, Applebloom, and Sweetiebelle basically smothered him with hugs. Rainbow was laughing at the two, but soon knew what they were feeling when Scootaloo slammed into her adoptive sister, shedding tears of joy as she squeezed her tightly. The orange filly was then joined by Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. The hugs finally ended, leaving the three ponies gasping for air.

"Aero Swiftwing, if you ever pull a stunt like that again… " Fira let that threat hang in the air, making the fifteen year old colt gulp.

"WHAT IN FUCKING EQUIS' NAME WOULD MAKE YOU DO THIS AGAIN, SPIKE?!" Twilight roared, making the sixteen year old dragon attempt to shrink into his bandages.

"I don't like being profane Spike, but even ladies have limits so… WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" Rarity suddenly burst out, making everypony jump.

Twilight and Fira then proceeded to flay the two teens with enough words to make a mentally deranged homicidal ax murderer feel remorse.

"... AND JUST WAIT UNTIL WE GET HOME, THEN THE REAL PUNISHMENT BEGINS!" Twilight shouted, a predatory grin creeping onto her face.

"We're not close to being done." Fira said deviously.

Spike and Aero shared a look of pure terror at what their guardians had in store as punishments.

"I'm just glad you're safe." Fira said, calming down.

"Yeah, all thanks to Raxtus." Aero said. Fira looked at her son quizzically, as did the other ponies in the room.

"What do you mean 'all thanks to Raxtus'? Who is Raxtus?" Fira asked. Spike explained the events that had happened, much to both Fira and Aero's amazement.

'Well, I'll have to… reward this Raxtus.' Fira thought, smirking. 'I wonder if he's good in bed… surely he must be with all that muscle.' Fira then rushed to the bathroom, after a hasty excuse. She locked the door to the single room bathroom, yanking off her shorts and panties to revealing a dripping marehood.

'Oh FUCK!' Fira mentally scremed as she shoved three fingers inside her cunt. 'Heat Season is only a few days away, and I have to score that stallion!' The orange furred pegasus mare then filled the bathroom with orgasmic screams of delight, imagining Raxtus pounding her sweet, MILF pussy into oblivion.

 **Author's Note: Another chapter finished. We got to see Raxtus truly fight, and trust me, figuring out the technical stuff in that battle was a pain in the backside. Twilight let her "Mother Anger" appear, we have a few new characters I have big plans for, and on top of all that, Raxtus will have to deal with the dreaded HEAT SEASON when he finishes recovering. Once again, special thanks to Tarnum427 for being a beta reader for this chapter, and thanks to OmegaDecion, Bladewolf101, UltraNova1225, and a great many others for reading this story, and giving me a reason to continue writing. The rockolith came from the mind of Manx1musofsparta, who is currently designing new creatures for my stories. Just to clarify, Fira is NOT related to Scootaloo in any way, shape, or form, just making that clear now. Also, thank you Sonic3461 for writing the Equestria's Human Spirit story, it was what inspired me to write this one. If you guys have any ideas for future chapters, you can send them to me via a PM, and I'll me sure to get back to you as quickly as I can. This is Imagineer379 signing off.**


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